Danny Annan is the newly appointed Danish Ambassador to Thailand and Cambodia. During his posting, he will be joined by his wife, Carinne, and two of his children, Markus and Eva. His oldest son, Karl, is currently studying in Copenhagen.
Danny Annan’s name may not sound typically Danish, and when asked about it, he explains:
“People with this last name are usually either from Ghana or Scotland. But in my case my father is from Lebanon,” he shares.
“My mother is Danish. They met in Lebanon but then moved to Denmark, where I grew up in the Copenhagen suburb Vanløse,” he adds.
Danny’s background likely contributed to his early interest in foreign affairs. The Civil War in Lebanon broke out in 1975 when Danny was just five years old and lasted until he was 20. Over the years, he followed his father’s deep personal interest in the conflict, which grew into his passion for foreign policy.
When the war ended, Danny was already studying law at the University of Copenhagen with aspirations of joining the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His focus was on human rights, EU law, and international law, all with a long-term goal of shaping a career in diplomacy.
Driven by curiosity about the world, Danny took two separate year-long breaks from his studies to travel. In 1991, he visited Thailand for the first time, also traveling to Malaysia and Indonesia during the same trip. By 1995, he traveled to Latin America, China and Southern Africa. Later travels brought him three more times to Thailand. In 1996, after graduating, he immediately began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I was very fortunate to be accepted to work at the Ministry,” Danny says humbly.
“I consider myself extremely lucky to combine my work with my personal interest in foreign policy.”
Danny’s diplomatic career quickly accelerated. Three years after joining the Ministry, he was appointed Deputy Head of Mission at the Danish Embassy in Damascus, Syria. More recently, he served as Denmark’s Ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan, and earlier as Ambassador to Iran.
Having worked in the Ministry for 28 years—19 of which were spent abroad—Danny is now starting a new chapter as the Danish Ambassador to Thailand and Cambodia.
“I find it a refreshing change of environment, and the work here is fascinating,” he says.
Tasks at the Danish Embassy
Among his responsibilities in Bangkok, the Embassy handles visa applications not just for Thailand and Cambodia, but also for Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.
“Bangkok is one of our busiest embassies worldwide for consular cases,” Danny explains, attributing the high volume to the large number of Danes visiting beautiful Thailand.
“We haven’t quite reached the pre-COVID numbers of Danish visitors, but we’re getting close. One tour operator, TUI, reported a 78% increase in the number of Danish travelers in the autumn this year compared to last year, and that trend is continuing.”
Another key area of focus for the Embassy is promoting trade between Denmark and Thailand.
“Last year, Danish exports of goods and services to Thailand totaled 6.1 billion DKK, with an 8.5% increase in volume, which is quite impressive,” Danny points out.
“This year, for the first seven months, we’ve seen a 5.2% increase.”
He also highlights the impact of Danish investments in Thailand, with 47,000 Thai employees working in businesses linked to Danish companies. Although he previously promoted Danish trade in Turkey, Danny emphasizes that his role is not about selling one country over another.
“My job is to provide a truthful and objective assessment of market opportunities to Danish companies,” he says.
Monitoring political developments in the region is another priority, especially given the internal political tensions in Thailand.
“To help me form my understanding of the current situation, I’ve met with several of my Nordic ambassador colleagues and I am also in the process of meeting my fellow EU ambassadors as well as many other diplomatic colleagues.
I will also continue to reach out to the Danish business community in Thailand in order to get a better understanding of the opportunities they see and challenges they face on the local market.
The Ambassador also emphasizes the excellent cooperation between the Nordic Embassies in Thailand. Every year, they organize the Nordic Run & Walk event in Bangkok, which helps strengthen ties with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Governor of Bangkok. In addition, the four embassies have decided to replace the individual National Day celebrations with a single Nordic Reception, where they celebrate their national days together. Another highlight of their collaboration is the Nordic Film Festival, which will kick off with the screening of the first film in the garden of the Danish Ambassador’s residence next to the office building of the Embassy.
New key staff at the Embassy
Danny leads a largely new team at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok, with key staff recently appointed. Dennis Blicher is the Head of the Visa Section, Charlotte Duelund leads Consular Affairs and Administration, and the new Deputy Head of Mission, Martin Hybel Havelykke, comes from a similar role in Moscow. Additionally, Ole Lindholm heads Commercial Affairs, and the new Danish Church Pastor, Nicolaj Stubbe Hørlyck, serves as the Social Attaché.
“I couldn’t be more satisfied with this highly skilled team,” Danny says.
Despite the recent staff changes, Danny reassures that the structure of Danish embassies worldwide allows for smooth transitions.
“All Danish embassies are set up in a way that allows a new team member to step in and immediately take over,” he explains.
Another strength, he says, is the commercial sector expert structure that focuses on Denmark’s high-priority areas in the region: Energy, defense and maritime, healthcare, and food and agriculture. The Danish Embassy in Bangkok also has commercial sector experts in all these areas.
Over the coming year, Danny plans to meet with Danish residents in various parts of Thailand. These meetings will combine visits to Danish companies with events that offer local Danes an opportunity to meet the Ambassador and the consular team where they can address different issues they may have.
The first of these “consular outreach events” is planned for November, and likely with similar events to follow in Chiang Mai and Udonthani/Nongkhai.
This goes well in hand with his passion for traveling.
“I love experiencing something new. It doesn’t have to be traveling far away. Right here in Bangkok, it is fascinating just to walk around in the different areas of Bangkok and experience their different characteristics. And tasting the differences as well, I might add,” he laughs.
