Ambassador Felix Klein took up his duties as Permanent Representative of Germany to the OECD on 3 September 2026.
Ambassador Klein, born in Darmstadt in 1968, was the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Anti-Semitism from 2018 to August 2026.
After attending school in Darmstadt, he went to the United World College in Duino, near Trieste, where he obtained the International Baccalaureate in 1987. He studied law in Freiburg and at the Freie Universität Berlin. He subsequently studied for a Master’s degree at the London School of Economics, graduating with a Master of Public International Law (LL.M.).
In 1994, he joined Germany’s foreign service and completed diplomatic training in Bonn in 1996. In 2001, he obtained his doctorate at the University of St. Gallen, on a subject relating to family law. He began his career as desk officer for South America, and was posted abroad to the German Embassy in Yaoundé from 1998 to 2000 and to the German Consulate General in Milan from 2003 to 2007. From 2007 to 2018, he worked in various positions at the Federal Foreign Office headquarters in Berlin, including as deputy head of the division responsible for southern Europe, Head of the State Secretary’s Office and, from 2011 to 2014, Head of Personnel Development and Planning Higher Service. From 2014 to 2018, he headed the German delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and served as the Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organisations.
Ambassador Klein has a keen interest in classical music. Since childhood he has been active as a violinist and has played with numerous chamber music ensembles and orchestras. He is currently a member of the Diplomatic String Quartet Berlin, which chiefly focuses on works by Jewish composers. He is married with three daughters.