Ambassador Michael Zilmer-Johns, Commander of first Class of the Order of Dannebrog, studied economics at Copenhagen University and Christian Albrecht University in Kiel. He began his carrier at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs working on GATT, EEC accession negotiations with Spain and Portugal as well as development co-operation with Latin America, Angola and Mozambique. From 1985-88 he served as Secretary of Embassy at the Danish EEC representation in Brussels. Back in Copenhagen he became Secretary of the Corporate Board and Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Minister. 10 days before the terror attack on 9/11 2001 he was appointed Political Director and worked intensively during the next two years handling the ensuing crisis i.a. chairing the EU Political Committee during the Danish EU Presidency in 2002. In 2003 he became foreign and security advisor to Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen with the Iraq war and the EU Constitutional Treaty among key challenges. In 2005 he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as State Secretary for Foreign and European Affairs. His responsibilities covered the EU, OSCE, Denmark's strategic partnerships with the US, Russia and China, other bilateral relations as well as security, including NATO and Danish participation in military operations. He was the Danish Sherpa during the negotiation of the Lisbon Treaty, chaired the Danish EU-Committee that co-ordinates Danish positions on all EU-matters and often represented the Danish Government at EU ministerial meetings. 2013-14 he was seconded to the European External Action Service as advisor to High Representative Cathy Ashton on security and defence. 2014-18 he served as Danish Ambassador to NATO. He served as Chief of Protocol from 2018 to 2021. In March 2020 the Danish Government tasked him also to chair a special working group with a mandate to write an analysis of Denmark's international and security situation to prepare the next multiannual Danish Defence spending Agreement.