The Board of Advisors of the OCGG helps the Board of Directors in providing strategic direction and intellectual guidance to the Council.

 

Member, Board of Advisors

Dr Benita Ferrero-Waldner is the European Commissioner for External Relations. She was previously the Foreign Minister of Austria.

Dr Ferrero-Waldner was born in Salzburg in Austria on 5 September 1948. She is married to Professor Francisco Ferrero Campos.

Dr Ferrero-Waldner studied law for the Dr iuris degree at the University of Salzburg from 1966 to 1970.

Dr Ferrero-Waldner worked in the Export Department of Paul Kiefel in Freilassing in Germany from 1971 to 1972, as Director for Export Promotion with Gerns and Gahler in Freilassing in Germany from 1972 to 1978, as Sales Director for Europe with P. Kaufmann Inc in New York in the USA, from 1978 to 1981, and as Chief Management Assistant with Gerns and Gahler in Freilassing in Germany from 1981 to 1983.

Dr Ferrero-Waldner then began her long and distinguished career in the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Austria.

She was Special Consultant in the Austrian Embassy in Madrid in Spain in 1984, served in the departments for economic, political, and consular affairs in Vienna in Austria from 1984 to 1986, was First Secretary in the Austrian Embassy in Dakar in Senegal  in 1986, served in the department for development cooperation in Vienna in Austria from 1986 to 1987, was Counsellor for Economic Affairs in the Austrian Embassy in Paris in France from 1987 to 1990, was First Counsellor, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Chargé d´Affaires a. i. in the Austrian Embassy in Paris in France from 1990 to 1993, and was Deputy Chief of Protocol in Vienna in Austria in 1993.

Dr Ferrero-Waldner was the Chief of Protocol in the Executive Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations Secretariat in New York in the USA from 1994 to 1995

Dr Ferrero-Waldner then returned to political office in Austria, first as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in two social democrat governments from 1995 to 2000 and finally as the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2000.

Dr Ferrero-Waldner was a candidate for the Presidency of Austria in 2004.