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Karin Olofsdotter (diplomat)

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Karin Olofsdotter
Karin Olofsdotter while meeting American Governor Mark Dayton in September 2018
Ambassador of Sweden to the United States
In office
2017 – 14 August 2023
Preceded byBjörn Lyrvall
Succeeded byUrban Ahlin
Ambassador of Sweden to Hungary
In office
2011–2014
Preceded byCecilia Björner
Succeeded byNiclas Trouvé
Personal details
Born (1966-06-16) June 16, 1966 (age 58)
Sweden
Parent(s)Olle and Eivor Svensson
Alma materLund University (BA, 1994)
University of California, Los Angeles
[1]

Karin Ulrika Olofsdotter (born June 16, 1966) is a Swedish diplomat and Swedish Ambassador to the Russian Federation. She was Swedish Ambassador to the United States from 2017 to 2023.[2] She started her role as Ambassador of Sweden to the United States on September 1, 2017.

Career

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Karin Olofsdotter entered the Foreign Service in 1994, and served as Chief of Staff to several Swedish Foreign Ministers and as Director of the Ministers Office in Stockholm before joining the Embassy in Washington.[3][4]

Before her assignment to Washington, D.C., Olofsdotter served as Director-General for Trade at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Sweden from September 1, 2016. Olofsdotter has also held the position of Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department for Promotion of Sweden, Trade and CSR in Stockholm in the two years prior.[5]

From 2011 to August 2014, Olofsdotter was Swedish Ambassador to Hungary.[6] While in Hungary, on 9 September 2012, Olofsdotter attend the "dedication ceremony yesterday of the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park, which was held in the courtyard of the Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest".[7] From 2008 and 2011, Olofsdotter was Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, D.C.[8]

She has also served at the Swedish EU Representation in Brussels, Belgium, working with European security policy and defense issues. She chaired the EU's Political-Military Group during the Swedish Presidency of the EU in 2001. Prior to this she worked at the Swedish delegation to NATO.[9] Her first posting was in Moscow, Russia, where she was mainly responsible for covering Belarus.

As a part of diplomatic outreach, Olofsdotter, with Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was part of a town hall style meeting in Peters Township, south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[10]

Ambassador Olofsdotter has a B.A. in psychology, economics and Russian. She studied at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and speaks Swedish, Russian, French and English.

Media

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On 22 July 2024, she acted as Sommar host.[11]

Publications

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  • Sweden refused to impose a coronavirus lockdown. The country's ambassador explains why, Los Angeles Times, 2020[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Ambassador of Sweden to the United States: Who Is Karin Olofsdotter?". December 3, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Male Dominance in Diplomacy Is Changing". University of Gothenburg. October 25, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  3. ^ "Xpat Interview: Karin Olofsdotter, Swedish Ambassador To Hungary". Xpat. April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  4. ^ "Karin Olofsdotter älskar sitt uppdrag" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  5. ^ "Ambassador of Sweden to the United States: Who Is Karin Olofsdotter?". AllGOV. December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  6. ^ "Karin Olofsdotter". AIDEX 2017. September 1, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "Budapest - Hungary Dedicates Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park". www.vosizneias.com. September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  8. ^ "Ambassador on the bright side of life". Diplomacy & Trade online. April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  9. ^ Arenander, Inger (June 25, 2017). "Uppgifter: Karin Olofsdotter ny ambassadör i Washington". Dagens Eko (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  10. ^ "The Swedish ambassador's search for answers in Trump country". The Washington Post. November 5, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  11. ^ "Karin Olofsdotter" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  12. ^ "Sweden refused to impose a coronavirus lockdown. The country's ambassador explains why". Los Angeles Times. May 2, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
[edit]
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Cecilia Björner
Ambassador of Sweden to Hungary
2011–2014
Succeeded by
Niclas Trouvé
Preceded by
Björn Lyrvall
Ambassador of Sweden to the United States
2017–2023
Succeeded by
Preceded by Ambassador of Sweden to Russia
2023–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent