Tech Diplomacy Global 50

Casper Klynge

World’s First Tech Ambassador, Kingdom of Denmark (2017–2020)
VP Government Partnerships, Zscaler · Former VP European Government Affairs, Microsoft
Denmark

Casper Klynge is a career diplomat and global authority on tech diplomacy who made history in September 2017 when Denmark appointed him as the world’s first Tech Ambassador — the first time a nation-state deployed an ambassador with a mandate to represent its citizens not to another country, but to the global technology industry.

Based in Silicon Valley with teams in Copenhagen and Beijing, Klynge pioneered what has since become an internationally recognized discipline: the strategic engagement of sovereign governments with the world’s most powerful technology companies. His mandate reflected a fundamental reordering of global power — one in which AI, data, digital platforms, and cybersecurity had become primary drivers of national security, economic sovereignty, and international influence.

Prior to his landmark appointment as Tech Ambassador (2017–2020), Klynge served as Ambassador of Denmark to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and ASEAN (2014–2017) and as Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus (2013–2014). Earlier in his career he served as Deputy Head of NATO’s Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and as Head of Mission of the European Union’s civilian crisis management planning mission in Kosovo.

Following his tenure as Tech Ambassador, Klynge joined Microsoft as Vice President for European Government Affairs, based in Brussels, reporting directly to President Brad Smith and serving on the senior leadership team of Microsoft’s Corporate, External and Legal Affairs group — where he led the company’s government affairs and public policy work across the European continent. He subsequently served as Senior Vice President at the Danish Chamber of Commerce before joining Zscaler as Vice President and Head of Government Partnerships for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He currently serves as a member of GLOBSEC’s Future Security & Defense Council, the European Council on Foreign Relations, and Denmark’s Governments Digitalization Council. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Copenhagen.

Casper Klynge is recognized in the Tech Diplomacy Global 50 — 2026 as a founding figure of the field, the diplomat who proved that technology had become a domain of statecraft, and whose legacy continues to shape how governments around the world engage with the digital age.