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Freedom Team Interview
Freedom Team Interview with Martin Kothé : Thoughts on Freedom and FNF

Curious to get to know Martin Kothé?
Martin Kothé Thoughts on Freedom and FNF
Martin Kothé Thoughts on Freedom and FNF © Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom East and Southeast Europe

Curious to get to know Martin Kothé, our new Regional Director for FNF East and Southeast Europe and Project Director for Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece? 

Martin Kothé has joined FNF in early 2020 after 10 years as a Managing Director for FTI Consulting in Berlin, a US strategic communications consultancy. From 2004 to 2010, Martin was working as spokesperson to the German President Horst Köhler during his tenure in office. Prior to that, Martin served as communications director and spokesperson of the German liberal party FDP affiliated to FNF (1999 - 2004). He started his career in journalism, learning the trade in the German Section of the BBC's World Service from 1988 - 1991. Later he became a parliamentary correspondent for the national all-news station n-tv. He holds a MA in Modern History, graduating from Berlin’s Free University in 1988. Martin is married with three children.

 

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Which liberal values you are most passionate about?

Tolerance. Freedom as the space within which you have a chance to develop. And: “Ever tried. Ever failed. Ever tried again.”

Why is the promotion of Freedom important to you?

I would be nothing had I not enjoyed freedom all my life.

What is your Freedom message? 

I have a life. So I am obliged to make the most of it. For myself, but also for everybody else.

How would you describe your job to a 5-year old kid?  

I do things you would not understand. But they are good, meaningful things.

What is most interesting and challenging about your career in FNF?

It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to be working with so many young people in the region, be it inside the foundation, or among our many partners. Their idealism and their energy to bring about change in their home countries are a constant source of inspiration to me.

What are your biggest achievements in FNF so far? What you are most proud of?

There are no achievements to speak of so far, but I am most proud of my team.

 

Discover more about the personality of Martin Kothé in the #FreedomTeam interview series. Stay tuned for more soon.