Department of Strategy and Innovation

Thomas Roslyng Olesen is head of the Maritime Research Alliance secretariat which is located at institute for Strategy and Innovation at Copenhagen Business School. Maritime Research Alliance is a non-profit network organization for maritime researchers in Denmark. The organization has 12 members: Aalborg University, Aarhus University, Copenhagen Business School, Danish Institute for International Studies, IT University of Copenhagen, Maritime and Polytechnic College, Maritime Museum of Denmark, Roskilde University, Svendborg International Maritime Academy, Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, and University of Southern Denmark.

Thomas' research has mainly focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce mobility in the maritime industry. In 2016 he published a book on the transformation of Danish shipbuilding, where he examined how the competencies and production facilities at the closed shipyards were put to new use after the closures. He has also published papers and reports on value creation in the maritime chain of transportation, workforce mobility, skill allocation and skill destruction, and offshore value chain characteristics.

Thomas furthermore teaches the elective course “Strategy and Regulation In international Shipping” at the BSc in International Shipping and Trade at Copenhagen Business School.

Thomas has been teaching at the BSc in International Shipping and Trade since 2015. He has previously also been a teacher at the (BSc) Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management Program (2016-2021) and at the (cand. merc.) Minor in Maritime Business (2018-2021) at Copenhagen Business School.

Thomas holds a MA in History from University of Copenhagen (2006) and a PhD in history from University of Southern Denmark (2012). He joined CBS as a postdoc in 2014. In 2016, he became Assistant Professor before joining the Maritime Research Alliance as Project Manager in 2020. He has previously been a visiting scholar at the Paul Bairoch Institute of Economic History at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Selected publications:

Dahl, M., Kringelum, L.B., Nowinská, A. & Olesen, T.R. (2023) “Trans-fur-able Resources? Strategic Responses to a Crisis in the Danish Mink-Related Ecosystem”. In S.T. Marinov & M.A. Marinov (eds.) Reconfiguration of business models and ecosystems. Decoupling and Resilience. Routledge, p. 294-314.

Holm, J. R., Østergaard, C. R., & Olesen, T. R. (2017): Destruction and Reallocation of Skills Following Large Company Closures. Journal of Regional Science. Vol. 57, No. 2, 3.2017, p. 245-265.

Olesen, T.R. & Poulsen, R.T. (2017) En krise med muligheder? Kreativ destruktion i dansk værftsindustri 1980-2013. Økonomi & Politik, 6.2017, p. 59-70

Olesen, T.R. (2016): Da værfterne lukkede. Transformationen af den danske værftsindustri 1975-2015. Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 375 p.

Olesen, T.R. (2016): Offshore Supply Industry Dynamics. Business Strategies in the Offshore Supply Industry, CBS Maritime Report, Copenhagen Business School, 40 p.

Olesen, T.R. (2015): Value Creation in the Maritime Chain of Transportation. The role of carriers, ports and third parties in liner and bulk shipping, CBS Maritime Report, Copenhagen Business School, 37 p.

Olesen, T.R. (2015): Offshore Supply Industry Dynamics. The main drivers in the energy sector and the value chain characteristics for offshore oil and gas and offshore wind, CBS Maritime Report, Copenhagen Business School, 46 p.