Niels Boel Abrahamsen, Danish Ambassador to Canada

Mr. Abrahamsen joined the Foreign Ministry in 1993, after completing a master’s degree in economics at the University of Copenhagen and working at the Ministry of Finance for two years.
By 1995, he was first secretary in Austria and returned three years later to head the Foreign Ministry’s European Union department. In 2001, he was minister-counsellor at the Embassy in Washington and a year later, he became Deputy Head of the Finance Department. For four years Mr. Abrahamsen led the Economics and Trade department at the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington. In 2006, Mr. Abrahamsen was made head of security and three years later, ambassador for security, services and digitalization at the Foreign Ministry.

Last year the Ambassador completed a one-year posting in Kabul, Afghanistan where he was instrumental in many successful foreign visits and involved with ensuring vital foreign aid to the Afghan people, including educational programs.

And just when you might be thinking that the Ambassador is all about work and no play, we recently learned that within the first month of his arrival in Canada last year he enthusiastically ran a half marathon race!

When Niels Boel Abrahamsen was instated as Danish Ambassador to Canada in August 2013, the Right Honorable Governor-general David Johnston stated this in his welcome speech:

Denmark and Canada have long been trusted allies, sharing particular interests as parliamentary democracies and northern nations. Our two countries have worked well together in Afghanistan and North Africa, and we have frequently co-operated on Arctic issues. As you know, Canada is the current chair of the Arctic Council, and I am confident that we can take this opportunity to further our friendship and achieve shared goals.

Mr. Abrahamsen is married to Karen Eva Lind Abrahamsen and they have two sons.

Niels Boel Abrahamsen spoke to us in May 2014.