Karel Kovanda

Ambassador Kovanda retired in 2011 after a distinguished career in the European Commission and the Czech Foreign Service. He now divides his time between consulting, lecturing, and teaching, and is active as Governor of the Asia-Europe Foundation, which is headquartered in Singapore. He served as Deputy Director-General for External Relations (2005-2010). Prior to that, he served as the Czech Ambassador to NATO (1998–2005), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997–1998) and Ambassador to the UN, where his tour included membership on the UN Security Council (1994–1995). He holds a Ph.D. in political science from MIT and an MBA from Pepperdine University, California.