Curriculum Vitae
CURRICULUM VITAE
1948 born in Emden
1966 Abitur (Final Exam) at the Altes Gymnasium College in Bremen
1967 Studying Geophysics at Kiel University
1973 Degree as Diplom-Geophysiker (Master in Geophysics)
1974 Entered the German Foreign Service
1976 (West-)German Embassy in Moscow – desk officer in the cultural department
1980 (West-)German Embassy in Buenos Aires – head of press and information department
1983 Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Bonn – Central America desk in the department for the Northern part of Latin America
1986 Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Bonn – head of division for the introduction of modern Information Technology into the Foreign Service
1989 German Ambassador to Nicaragua in Managua
1992 German Embassy Moscow – Minister Councillor and head of the economic and technology division
1995 Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Bonn – head of department for the Southern part of Latin America
1999 Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Berlin – Ambassador and Director for Latin America
2003 German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain in Madrid with a double accreditation as Ambassador to the Principality of Andorra
2005 State Secretary of the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Berlin
2008 Ambassador to the Court of St.James’s in London
2013 After retiring doing some work as a consultant
Some other tasks I took over:
1983-1986 Member of the Latin America Working Group of the Council in Brussels in the EPC framework
1986-1989 Member of the Informatics Working Group of the Council in Brussels in the EPC framework
1993-1995 Alternate President of the Strategic Support Group of the G7 to support the economic reform process in Russia
1995-1999 Member and (during the German Presidency) Head of the Latin America Working Group of the EU-Council in Brussels
1998-1999 Preparing the first EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit 1999 in Rio de Janeiro (when Germany had the Presidency of the EU-Council)
1999-2008 Patron of the German-Brasilian Society
1999-2002 Patron of the Friends of the Ibero-American Institute (Prussian Heritage) in Berlin
2003-2005 Participating at the annual German-Spanish Forum
2005-2008 Member of the Board of Governors of DEG (German Development Bank)
2006-2008 Member of the Board of Governors of GTZ (German Technical Cooperation)
2006-2008 Member of the Board of Governors – Foundation for Culture of the Federal Republic of Germany
2006-2008 Member of the Board of Governors – Foundation for Culture of the German Federal States
2006-2008 Member of the Board of Governors of Invest in Germany
2005-2008 Member of the Board of Governors of the campaign Germany – Land of Ideas
2005-2008 Alternate Member of the Administrative Council of the KfW (Bank for Reconstruction)
2005-2008 Co-President of the German-Russian Strategic Working Group on economic cooperation
2005-2008 Member of the Board of Governors of the German-Polish Foundation for Scientific cooperation
2009-2011 President of the Assembly (the highes body) of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation)
2008-2013 Participation at the annual German-British Königswinter conferences
2008-2013 Member of the Council of Governors of the Ditchley Park Foundation, London
2008-2013 Patron of the Foundation Edward VII
2008-2013 Patron of the Kurt Hahn Foundation, Cambridge
List of honours and decorations. Few honours were earned, some were awarded on the occasion of formal State Visits and were related to rank rather than to any merit
Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Knight (Ridder) of the Grand Cross of the Order of Oranje-Nassau from the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Knight (Cavaliere) of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit from the Kingdom af Spain
Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco from the Federal Republic of Brazil
Grand Cross of the Order of Phoenix from the Republic of Greece
Grand Officer’s Cross of the Order of the Cross of San Carlos from the Repubic of Colombia
Commander of the Order of May from the Republic of Argentina
Commander of the Order of Merit from the Republic of Chile
Freedom of the City of London
Gold Interfaith Medal of the International Council of Christians and Jews
Gold Medal of the British German Association