HamburgAmbassadors –
the volunteer network for Hamburg

The idea behind the HamburgAmbassadors

Everywhere in the world, there are people who feel connected to Hamburg. Because they were born in the metropolitan region, have lived, studied, or worked here.

Some of these people have taken on important positions in the social, economic, or cultural life of the places where they currently live, but despite the physical distance, they still feel very connected to their hometown of Hamburg.

This sense of connection offers great potential for the Hanseatic City to build a global network. For this reason, the Senate Chancellery, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, and the institutions involved in Hamburg Marketing launched the HamburgAmbassador program in 2005, coordinated by Hamburg Marketing GmbH. It supports one of the most important goals of the Hamburg Senate: to further increase Hamburg’s international visibility. The result is an innovative network through which Hamburg is taking new approaches in advertising, image promotion, and active location marketing. Currently, 36 individuals in 29 countries are active worldwide as honorary ambassadors of the city.

Hamburgs ehrenamtliche Botschafter 2025

We, the HamburgAmbassadors, give our city a personal voice around the world. We build bridges and position the city and its Metropolitan Region abroad.

Mission statement of the HamburgAmbassador program

Blue castle emblem with two stars above and a red ribbon banner on a blue circular background.

Group photo of the HamburgAmbassadors in the City Hall together with Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher, 2025 — The HamburgAmbassadors with Hamburg’s First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher, 2025

Worldwide locations

World map showing locations of Hamburg Ambassadors in 29 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand.

Close-up portrait of a thoughtful elderly man with blue eyes and a slight smile against a plain background. — © Max Klein

Argentina

Portrait of a middle-aged man wearing glasses, a bow tie, and a pinstripe suit against a blurred background. — © Julian Thomas

Brazil

Portrait of a smiling middle-aged woman with curly dark hair wearing a patterned scarf and necklace. — © Marlis Rötting

China

Portrait of a middle-aged man with grey hair in a suit and patterned blue tie against a plain background. — © HollyHedge Consult

England

Portrait of a middle-aged man wearing glasses, a dark suit, white shirt, and red-striped tie against a plain background. — © Pekka Laaksonen

Finland

Portrait of a smiling woman with short blonde hair wearing a blue top in a bright indoor setting. — © Andreas B. Krueger

Portrait of a bearded man in a suit jacket and white shirt against a plain background.

France

Portrait of a middle-aged bald man wearing glasses, a navy suit, white shirt, and maroon tie against a dark background. — © GABRIEL HERMAN / blaqorigin

Ghana

Portrait of a middle-aged woman with dark hair, wearing a red jacket and patterned scarf, in front of bookshelves. — © Julia Iliopoulos-Strangas

Greece

Portrait of a smiling man with folded arms wearing a grey shirt against a blurred background. — © Avik Debnath

India

Middle-aged man in glasses and blazer gesturing while speaking at a wooden table against a beige wall. — © Paul Nemitz

Italy

Elderly man in a suit speaking during a meeting with drinks and a coffee pot on the table. — © Carsten Schulz

Portrait of a middle-aged man with grey hair wearing a suit and red striped tie, smiling outdoors. — © Hans Sautter

Japan

Professional middle-aged woman with glasses and grey blazer smiling against a plain grey background. — © Montréal International

Canada

Middle-aged man wearing glasses, a dark suit, light blue shirt, and blue polka dot tie against a plain background. — © Hamburg Marketing

Cuba

Black and white portrait of a smiling man wearing glasses, a suit jacket, white shirt, and patterned tie. — © Mareks Bluzmanis

Latvia

Portrait of a middle-aged man in a suit and striped tie against a plain grey background.

New Zealand

Smiling middle-aged man wearing glasses, a white shirt, and a brown blazer against a plain background. — © Spaarne Gasthuis

Netherlands

Portrait of a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a black suit jacket in an office setting.

Austria

Portrait of a confident middle-aged man in glasses, navy suit, and striped tie with arms crossed. — © Karl Maslo

Peru

Russia

Portrait of an elderly man with white hair, glasses, and a striped red and blue tie in a formal setting. — © Ulrich Perrey

Sweden

Professional woman with long brown hair wearing a black blazer and gold necklace, smiling against a plain background. — © Christine Ehrat

Switzerland

Professional middle-aged man with glasses wearing a dark suit and yellow striped tie against a plain background. — © Hamburg Marketing

Singapore

Confident middle-aged man with grey hair and beard, wearing a blue blazer and light blue shirt, arms crossed. — © Anton Scholz

South Korea

Portrait of a confident woman with curly blonde hair, wearing a checked scarf and dark blazer against a plain background. — © Ursula Schulz

Czech Republic

Middle-aged man in a checked suit and blue tie standing beside a large vase of vibrant purple orchids. — © Selim Ataş

Turkey

Portrait of a smiling middle-aged woman with short blonde hair, pearl jewellery, and bright lipstick. — © Svitlana Iarova

Ukraine

Hungary

Portrait of a smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a navy blue top, standing outdoors by a column. — © Liz Stell Photography

Portrait of an elderly man wearing glasses, a striped shirt, black tie, and dark blazer against a plain background. — © Christoph Lichtenfeld

Portrait of an older man in a dark suit and blue tie against a plain grey background. — © Sven Oehme

Smiling man with beard wearing checked shirt and polka dot tie, standing in front of colourful abstract painting. — © Rolf Achilles

USA

Portrait of a smiling man wearing glasses and a white coat in a bright, professional setting. — © Anh Ngoc Nguyen

Vietnam

A formal meeting with suited individuals seated around a large table in an ornate, wood-paneled room. — © Carsten Schulz

Role of Ambassadors

The volunteer representatives advocate for Hamburg within their sphere of influence.

They promote the metropolis at business events, through individual lectures, or, for example, Hamburg evenings organized by them, to which they invite business partners and decision-makers from politics, business, and society.

In addition, the HamburgAmbassadors are involved in the planning of trade fairs, conferences, congresses, and receptions, and they support the preparation of the city’s international activities with their contact networks.

Appointment and Farewell

The First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg appoints the HamburgAmbassadors after a selection committee, composed of representatives from the Senate Chancellery, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, the Authority for Economy and Innovation, Hamburg Marketing, and Hamburg Invest, has reviewed the candidate proposals.

The appointment is initially for a period of three years but can be extended any number of times with the consent of all parties involved. If a HamburgAmbassador relocates their residence and workplace to another part of the world or returns to Germany, the voluntary office ends.

HamburgAmbassador Meeting

To provide intensive support to the HamburgAmbassadors in their voluntary role and to facilitate exchange among them, a meeting is held annually in Hamburg in May.

Over the course of three days, Hamburg Marketing GmbH and its partners present the latest developments from the city and offer a high-caliber program of lectures, on-site visits, receptions, and networking events. The response to these events demonstrates the HamburgAmbassadors’ strong willingness to engage in this voluntary role and to stay informed about the city’s latest developments.

HamburgAmbassador Alumni

Oftentimes, the former HamburgAmbassadors, after the end of their active role in the HamburgAmbassador network, have a great interest in remaining connected with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and its representatives.

Joining the HamburgAmbassador Alumni network offers an excellent opportunity to maintain such a connection. Unlike the active HamburgAmbassadors, the alumni are not regionally but thematically oriented, depending on the areas of interest and opportunities of the individual members. They meet several times a year for exchange or to carry out internal events.