Wunderbar­Together Gala

Andreas Michaelis

Andreas Michaelis has been Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States since August 2023. Before he was State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin from. January 2022 until July 2023. Previously, he served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom and before that as State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.

Andreas Michaelis joined the German Foreign Service in 1989. He served as Private Secretary to the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, at the Embassy in Tel Aviv, and subsequently held several positions in Bonn and Berlin including Spokesman of the Federal Foreign Office. Michaelis then served as Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore, as Director for Asian and Pacific Affairs and as Director for Near and Middle Eastern Affairs and North Africa at the Foreign Office, before being appointed Ambassador to the State of Israel and then Political Director of the Federal Foreign Office.

Andreas Michaelis studied Political Sciences and Philosophy at the Universities of Hannover and Oxford.

Mikko Turtiainen

Mikko is an airline professional with nearly 25 years of experience, spanning two airlines. He has also gained valuable insight while holding a Board position with Amadeus Finland and part of the advisor committee to Visit Finland. The majority of his career has been with the passenger business of an airline, in management positions in both Sales, Distribution and Revenue Management. He extended his airline experience by leading an airline cargo sales team for a good four years. He has been a spokesman for the airlines for two decades and has been involved in a multitude of public speaking events throughout his career.

Over the past decade, Mikko has contributed to the airlines’ strategy work, as well as a key figure in the implementation of strategy. He strongly believes change is for the good of a company and has put a lot in understanding change management. He is happily married for over 20 years, a proud father to three children, and enjoys the company of the black labrador, Zola.

Dr. Christoph Schemionek

Dr. Christoph Schemionek is the President and CEO of the German Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Washington, DC, and President of the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT). He previously was the Senior Director for Regional Economic Policy at RGIT, where he was responsible for RGIT’s “German Business in the USA” project, which visualizes the economic contribution of German-owned affiliates in the United States.

As RGIT’s World Bank Liaison, he also supported German companies to successfully navigate the World Bank’s procurement process. Christoph holds a Ph.D. in Geography.