Helga Maria Schmid
Helga-Maria Schmid has served as the fourth President of the Institute’s Board of Governors since January 2024. Previous Board. Presidents were Staffan de Mistura (2014-16), Pekka Haavisto (2016-19), and Annika Söder (2019-24).
Helga-Maria Schmid’s career has included senior positions in the German Foreign Ministry and the European External Action Service, where she served as Secretary General (2016-2020). She was Secretary-General of the OSCE from 2020 to 2024.
As Chair, Helga-Maria Schmid will support the Board of Governors in its role to provide oversight, guidance and support to the senior management of Institute in an honorary capacity.
