Welcome
Consul General Michael Ahrens
Michael Ahrens took up his position as Consul General of Germany in Chicago in August 2023. Before arriving in Chicago he served as Minister Counselor for Security and Defense Policy at the German Embassy in Washington, DC. Prior to that he was the Deputy Head of Division for Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin from 2015 to 2019.
His previous postings included Counselor for Cultural and Legal Affairs at the German Embassy in Seoul (2012-2015), Consul at the German Consulate General in San Francisco (2009-2012) as well as at the German Consulate General in Shanghai (2003-2006). He also worked from 2006 to 2009 at the Federal Foreign Office on Humanitarian Assistance in Asia.
Michael joined the Diplomatic Service in 1989. After a three-year training at the Diplomatic Academy of the Federal Foreign Office, he served at the German Consulate General in Los Angeles as well as at the German Embassy in Belgrade before returning to the Crises Reaction Centre. He re-joined the Diplomatic Academy for a year in 2002.
Michael is married and has one daughter and one son.