Far from a traditional diplomatic trajectory: today head of the German Foreign Office’s Culture and Communication Department, Dr. Andreas Görgen first completed a law degree, before in 1996 beginning his professional career at the Berliner Ensemble theatre. For a number of years he divided his time between Germany and France, in work that encompassed both culture and industry. After being awarded a scholarship at the École Nationale D’Administration in France, he then changed sectors, working in the public financing of films. This was followed by consultancy roles in the managerial teams of the State Ministry for Culture and Media, the Federal Chancellery’s Europe Department, and at the Foreign Office (headed by Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was at the time federal minister of foreign affairs). Having gained experience and negotiating expertise on the complex international circuit, there followed between 2009 and 2013 senior roles in the energy sector with Siemens South West Europe, prior to once again returning to the Federal Foreign Office serving as head of the department Culture and Communication.