Ann-Kristin Otto (Desk Officer Military Aspects of Security Policy, Federal Chancellery)

Ann-Kristin Otto is a desk officer for Military Aspects of Security Policy at the Federal Chancellery. In her current position, she works on all aspects of international security policy and Bundeswehr matters with a focus on bilateral relations of the armed forces and frameworks of multilateral defense cooperation, such as NATO, CSDP and other formats. Before joining the Federal Chancellery, Ann-Kristin was desk officer for bilateral relations and international security policy at the political section of the German Ministry of Defense, where she worked on CSDP related defense cooperation as well as bilateral relations with Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on but not limited to the Visegrad countries and the Black Sea region. Prior to her MoD employment, Ms. Otto worked at the German Bundestag as Advisor for military and security policy. She has also worked as Afghanistan Knowledge Manager at NATO ACT in Norfolk, VA, for NATO HQ in Brussels, and for ISAF's Regional Command North in Afghanistan. Before joining the institutional side of politics, Ms. Otto worked as a political scientist at think tanks in both Washington, DC (AICGS and CSIS) and Berlin (DGAP). She studied political science, holding a diploma from the Free University Berlin and a Master’s degree from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. AnnKristin Otto is an active member and Alumna of various professional networks, amongst others Körber Foundation Network Foreign Policy, Munich Young Leaders, Atlantik Brücke e.V. Young Leaders and Women in International Security (WIIS.de).

Cosima Gill (Freelance journalist specializing in Security Policy)

Cosima Gill works as an investigative journalist for the ARD magazine Kontraste and for Westdeutscher Rundfunk. Most recently, she reported from the ARD capital studio in the summer of 2022, covering security policy and other topics. Together with war journalist Julia Leeb, she produced the podcast "Women in War" for RBB. She has worked as a freelance journalist since 2009 and spent several months in New Delhi for ARD and Deutsche Welle, among others. In addition, Cosima Gill worked for years as a writer for the NZZ and completed her traineeship at the RTL School of Journalism. She studied "South Asia and Global Security" at the War Department at King's College in London and international relations at the University of Geneva.