Amb Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar

Amb Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar has extensive expertise in international security, cyber defence, cybersecurity, digital and cyber diplomacy. Her experience spans government and academic leadership roles that have helped shape cyber strategies in international organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions. Currently, she is chairing the Steering Group of the IT Coalition within the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group.

She is also a Visiting Distinguished Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and serves at the Board of Directors of the Global Cyber Alliance, a global non-profit cyber security organisation. In 2022-2024, she was the Director of the Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin. 
As Ambassador at Large for Cyber Diplomacy at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2018-2021, Amb Tiirmaa-Klaar led efforts to introduce cyber security on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council during Estonia's tenure at UNSC, participated in the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Advancing Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace and co-chaired the Trust and Security Working Group of the UN Secretary General High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation.

In 2012-2018, as Head of Cyber Policy Coordination at the European External Action Service in Brussels, she co-led the preparation of the EU's cybersecurity strategies, coordinated EU cyber diplomacy and cyber defence policy implementation, and initiated EU global cyber capacity building efforts. She also led EU diplomatic cyber dialogues with the United States, China, Japan, India, Brazil, South Korea, and international organizations, such as NATO, CoE, OSCE and UN, launched cyber capacity building programs in different regions globally and led the development of the EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework. 

As Cyber Defence Policy Advisor at the Emerging Security Challenges Division at NATO HQ in 2010-2011, she was responsible for developing and negotiating the comprehensive NATO cyber defence policy, coordinating NATO’s cyber defence efforts, and advising NATO Allies on the establishment of national cyber defence systems.

In 2007-2010, she led the preparation and coordinated the implementation of Estonia's first Cyber Security Strategy, built a national public-private partnership to protect critical cyber assets, and managed the National Cyber Security Council. In her earlier career she worked on Estonia's NATO accession and the development of the country's nascent defence structures as Head of the NATO and International Organizations Department at the Estonian Ministry of Defence in the mid-1990’s. 

She is a PhD candidate at the University of Helsinki, was a Fulbright Fellow at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and holds an MA in Political Science from the Central European University. 

She has earned various awards and recognitions, including being chosen by Politico as one of the 28 most influential Europeans of 2019 for her role in establishing EU cyber policies. She has also been awarded the Estonian Ministry of Defence Service Cross in Gold for her services to Estonian national defence, and has received Fulbright and Open Society Fellowships.

Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar has published books, articles, and reports on a wide range of topics related to international security, cybersecurity, digital issues and cyber diplomacy. 
She is a native Estonian speaker, fluent in English, and also speaks German, French and Russian.