Kristian Brakel is the Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Regional Office for Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, based in Beirut. Since joining the Foundation in 2015, he first headed its office in Istanbul before establishing and leading the East Asia Regional Office in Seoul, overseeing the Foundation’s work in South Korea, North Korea and Japan.

Prior to joining the Foundation, he worked, among other positions, as Head of Office for the EU Special Representative for Sudan in Khartoum, for the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process in Brussels, as well as for the United Nations in the United Arab Emirates and the German Foreign Office in Palestine.

Kristian Brakel holds degrees in Islamic Studies and Educational Science and completed the postgraduate programme of the Centre for Rural Development (SLE) in Berlin.

In his spare time, he spends slightly too much money on board games, enjoys cooking, and practices martial arts.