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Karel Kovanda

Senior Advisor

Brussels +32 2 545 7506

  • About
  • Credentials
  • About

    Ambassador Karel Kovanda is a senior public policy advisor in Covington’s EU Public Policy Practice Group. A former diplomat and non-lawyer, Karel has a wealth of experience, having held extensive diplomatic and private sector positions.

    From 2005 to 2010, Karel worked as Deputy Director-General of Relex (now the European External Action Service) in the European Commission. He was responsible inter alia for relationships with non-EU OECD countries, human rights and international organizations. In 2007, he chaired the Kimberley Process (combating "blood diamonds") and for a number of years co-chaired the EU-Japan Regulatory Reform Dialogue.

    Prior to that (1998-2005), he served as the Czech Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to NATO, including as Dean of the NATO diplomatic corps (2004-5), after having acted as a Czech Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-8).

    Karel also held several positions at the United Nations, where he served as the Czech Permanent Representative (Ambassador) from 1993-1997. He was Vice-President and subsequently President of the UN Economic and Social Council (1996-97) as well as a member of the UN Security Council (1994-5), including two monthly terms as President. He played a particularly important role in the debates concerning the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

    In the private sector, Karel most recently held a management position at a major Czech energy company where he worked from 2013 to the end of 2014. In this role, he oversaw the company’s relationship with the European institutions which included lobbying and monitoring legislative developments. He has also held management positions in several US companies, covering a broad range of sectors.

    Karel is part of Covington's global public policy team, which includes experienced lawyers as well as other former senior policymakers. The team advises clients on a range of European public affairs issues, including the EU policy-making processes and functioning of the European institutions.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Credentials
    Education
    • Pepperdine University, M.B.A., 1985
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., 1975
    Government Experience
    • European Commission
    Languages
    • Czech
    • English
    • French
    • Spanish
    • Russian
    Accolades
    • Order of Merit 1st Class (Czech Republic)
    • Umurinzi - Campaign against Genocide Medal (Rwanda)
    Previous Experience
    • Manager - Brussels office, major Czech energy company (July 2013-December 2014)
    • DDG Relex: responsible for non-EU OECD countries, human rights and international organisations (April 2005-December 2010)
    • Czech Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to NATO (August 1998-April 2005)
    • Dean of the NATO Diplomatic Corps (2004-2005)
    • Czech Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-1998)
    • Czech Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to the United Nations (1993-1997)
    • Member of the UN Security Council (1994-1995)
    • Vice-President, UN Economic and Social Council (1996-1997)
    • Senior Positions in the Czech Foreign Ministry (1991-1993)

    Areas of Expertise

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