Press release
05.02.2020

Change of leadership at the Centre for International Security: Marina Henke takes over from Wolfgang Ischinger as director

As professor and founding director, Ischinger will remain part of the Centre's executive team. 

Berlin, 5 February, 2020. Professor of International Relations Marina Henke is the new director of the Hertie School’s Centre for International Security. She takes over from Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Senior Professor of Security Policy and Diplomatic Practice at the Hertie School and Chairman of the Munich Security Conference. Ischinger has directed the Centre, where the Hertie School bundles its research and teaching in the field of security policy, since 2016. As professor and founding director, Ischinger remains part of the Centre’s executive team. 

Marina Henke, who received her PhD from Princeton, joined the Hertie School from Northwestern University in September 2019. Her research focuses on military interventions, peacekeeping as well as European security and defence policy.

“We will promote practice-oriented research on security policy issues and connect the relevant actors in this field. Students and doctoral candidates benefit from the close involvement in this work. Our aim is to make a central contribution to the training of the next generation of security policy leaders,” says Marina Henke.

Hertie School President Henrik Enderlein says, “Over the past four years, Wolfgang Ischinger has not only made an extraordinary contribution to the development of the Hertie School, but has also enriched the German research landscape by establishing the Centre. He has built a bridge between research and policy-making, in particular by establishing a close partnership with the Munich Security Conference. We are very grateful to Wolfgang Ischinger and are pleased that he will continue to remain part of the Centre as Founding Director. In Marina Henke, we have gained a truly outstanding researcher and leading international policy expert to lead the Centre.”

In addition to Wolfgang Ischinger and Marina Henke, professors Anita Gohdes (Professor of International and Cyber Security), Julian Wucherpfennig (Professor of International Affairs and Security) and post-doctoral researcher Tobias Bunde teach and conduct research at the Centre. It is one of the Hertie School’s five Centres of Competence specifically dedicated to research on key governance challenges of the coming decades. Besides international security policy, they include EU governance, fundamental rights, digital governance and sustainability.

You can find more information on the Centre for International Security here.

The Hertie School in Berlin prepares exceptional students for leadership positions in government, business, and civil society. The school offers master’s, doctoral and executive education programmes distinguished by interdisciplinary and practice-oriented teaching, as well as outstanding research. Its extensive international network positions it as an ambassador of good governance, characterised by public debate and engagement. The school was founded in 2003 by the Hertie Foundation, which remains its major funder. The Hertie School is accredited by the state and the German Science Council. www.hertie-school.org