The Project Office

Since April 2023, Ron van Manen has been serving as the Managing Director of the Aviation in Transition project bureau. In this role, he leverages his extensive knowledge and expertise in national and international aviation to collaborate with the Dutch government and all participating parties in ensuring the success of Aviation in Transition. Ron’s professional journey commenced at the TU Delft, where he studied Aerospace Engineering. Throughout his career, he has held positions at prominent organizations such as KLM, British Airways, QinetiQ, and the Clean Sky Joint Undertaking.

Since June 2025, Laura Veldenz has been active as a Project Officer within the Project Office of LiT. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Textile Technology and earned her PhD in Aerospace Engineering in 2019 from the University of Bristol (UK), while working at the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol. In 2023, she joined Airborne as R&D Program Manager. In this role, she coordinated all activities within LiT and led two projects within NXTGEN Hightech: the aviation-oriented Composiet01 and Composiet02, which focuses on thermoplastic composites for high-volume production.

Alte de Boer has been involved with Aviation in Transition from its start and currently holds the position of Project Officer. With an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Twente, he has been employed at NLR for an extended period as a senior research and development engineer in the Avionic Systems department. His expertise encompasses technology for electric propulsion systems, aircraft electronics, and the interaction between aircraft and lightning. Alte has taken on leadership roles in European projects, including FP6 ILDAS, Clean Sky 1 Starter-Generator Unit, Clean Sky 2 ELECTRA, and StrongRCraft, where he has combined his systems engineering knowledge with project management skills.

Chantale is responsible for project management within Aviation in Transition and serves as a Project Officer for several technical projects. After completing her studies in Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft and obtaining a master’s degree in Astrodynamics & Satellite Systems, her career began as a Management Trainee at Fokker Technologies. There, she led various complex programs for international clients such as Bombardier, Airbus, and Boeing within multifunctional teams. In this role, she gained extensive technical knowledge and experience in project management.

Marijn Boersma joined Aviation in Transition in January 2025 and is involved in communication and stakeholder management, alongside taking on various tasks within the project office. Marijn holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Global Business and Sustainability. He brings experience in communication and stakeholder management from various previous roles. With a deep-rooted ambition to contribute to a more sustainable future, he adds drive and a fresh perspective to the team.

Mark Knijnenburg joined the project office in July 2025. As a Project Officer, he will be involved in multiple projects and play a role in community building and stakeholder management. His background is in business and management consulting. He spent five years at PwC, where he and a group of like-minded colleagues established the sustainability team within consulting for the commercial market. Since then, he has been part of nlmtd, a collective of consultants focused on impactful projects at the intersection of innovation and sustainability.