Heiko Thoms has extensive experience in foreign and security policy, as well as in multilateral negotiations. As Chief of Staff to German Foreign Ministe Westerwelle, he contributed to the development and implementation of foreign policy strategies and guidelines. During his time as Deputy Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, he represented Germany in the Security Council and the General Assembly. He also served as Vice-President of UNICEF’s and UN WOMEN’s Executive Board. In 2016, he was elected Vice-President of the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
 
Ambassador Thoms joined the German Foreign Service in 1999 and served in Cairo, Teheran, Brussels and Berlin. He studied Law, Political Sciences and Islamic and Arabic Studies in Bonn, Cairo, Geneva and Berlin and speaks English, French, Arabic and Farsi. Together with his wife, Anahita Thoms, he is Co-Founder of the initiative “United Against Modern Slavery.”