Over the past two decades, Knut has held senior leadership roles for the Friedrich Ebert Foundations in China, the Middle East, Europe, and North America, giving him a unique global perspective. In China, as the director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s Shanghai office, he focused on the country’s evolving role in global governance and its integration into the world economy. Later, in the Middle East, he led the Foundation’s operations in the Palestinian Territories from East Jerusalem, establishing a presence in Gaza and advancing dialogues on conflict and governance.

In Poland, Knut worked to strengthen European integration and Polish-German cooperation, helping to navigate the complexities of regional politics and the EU’s internal dynamics. He then served at the Foundation’s headquarters in Berlin, where he managed operations across East Asia and led the Asia and Pacific Department, providing strategic direction on critical issues such as trade relations and regional security.

Most recently, as the Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s Washington DC office, Knut played a key role in fostering high-level political exchanges and strategic dialogue between German, American, and Canadian leaders on issues ranging from trade to transatlantic security. Now, based in Brussels, he heads the Foundation’s Competence Centre on the Future of Work, where he focuses on the intersections of technology, labor, and social policy to enhance the EU’s competitiveness and social cohesion.

Knut is also an accomplished writer and speaker, regularly contributing to discussions on international affairs, geopolitical conflict and economic transformation at conferences and meetings around the world. His multilingual skills—fluent in German, English, Polish, and Mandarin, with working knowledge of several other languages—enable him to engage effectively across diverse cultural and political contexts. A trusted advisor to the leadership of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Knut has a proven track record of driving forward progressive policy initiatives and fostering global networks for change.

Knut holds an MSc in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Magister Artium in Modern History, Economics, and Political Science from the Technical University of Berlin, with additional studies in Poland and Taiwan.