Jens Hanefeld

Jens Hanefeld began his professional career after studying modern history and English language and literature in 1991 when he joined the Foreign Service as an attaché. After working in London, Sofia and Washington, he became an advisor in the Political Department of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin in 2000. From 2001 onwards, he was personal advisor to various State Secretaries at the Federal Foreign Office. From 2005, he headed the Office of State Secretaries at the Federal Foreign Office before becoming envoy and permanent representative of the ambassador in Washington in 2009. In February 2014, Jens Hanefeld joined the Volkswagen Group as Senior Vice President and Head of International & European Policy and Trade Policy. From September 2024 to July 2025, he took over as German Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union before becoming German Ambassador to the United States of America in July 2025.