German Consul General Visits Indiana
German Consul General Mr. Michael Ahrens made his first official trip to Indiana from November 30th – December 1st. Having taken the position of Consul General in August 2023, Mr. Ahrens previously served as Minister Counselor for Security and Defense Policy at the German Embassy in Washington, DC. Prior to that he was the Deputy Head of Division for Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin from 2015 to 2019.
Mr. Ahrens began his trip to Indiana by visiting Marian University in Indianapolis. Beginning with a lunch with Marian President Daniel J. Elsener and deans of colleges, Mr. Ahrens toured the Witchger School of Engineering before speaking with students in a Global Economics and German class. Mr. Ahrens also met with Dr. Michael Feldmann, head vascular surgeon at the Agaplesion Diakonie Hospital in Rotenburg (Wümme), Germany who oversees Marian pre-med and medical students in a shadowing internship at his hospital.
Mr. Ahrens then headed downtown to tour Das Deutsche Haus with Athenaeum Foundation CEO Craig Mince to learn more about Indiana’s German heritage. The Athenaeum then hosted a networking reception for Mr. Ahrens with more than thirty German cultural and educational leaders throughout central Indiana.
On December 1st, Mr. Ahrens began the day meeting with nearly two dozen business leaders for a roundtable discussion co-hosted by Indiana-Germany Business Council and Barnes & Thornburg. The roundtable offered an opportunity to discuss trade and investment between Indiana and Germany along with workforce and immigration issues.
Mr. Ahrens then visited the Governor’s Residence to meet with Governor Eric Holcomb, Ann Lathrop (Chief Strategy Officer, IEDC), Andrea Richter-Garry (SVP of Global Strategy & Engagement, IEDC), and Emina Ibrahimovic (Senior Program Manager, Global Partnerships, IEDC). At the meeting, the group discussed more about the Indiana-Germany relationship, the recent investments German companies have made in the Hoosier State, and the preparations for the 2024 Global Economic Summit in Indiana.
After meeting with several Jewish community leaders for lunch, Mr. Ahrens visited Carmel officials at the city’s Christkindlmarkt while meeting with vendors and sampling the seasonal cuisine and drinks. At the conclusion of the day, Mr. Ahrens visited iwis drive systems in Whitestown, Ind. The Germany-based manufacturer of high-precision chains recently invested $15.1 million into a new state-of-the-art 100,000 square foot facility in central Indiana.
