Meet Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland's Experienced Diplomat and Ambassador to Austria
Poland is relying on an experienced diplomat in Vienna in Zenon Henryk Kosiniak-Kamysz, who holds the office of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to Austria, having already served as chargé d'affaires in Vienna since October 2024.
Zenon Henryk Kosiniak-Kamysz is an experienced diplomat and civil servant of the Republic of Poland with over 35 years of experience. / Picture: © Österreichische Präsidentschaftskanzlei / Ronja Klima und Peter Lechner/HBF
The formal assumption of the ambassadorial post was planned for July 2025, when he presented his credentials to Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. He succeeds Jolanta Róża Kozłowska in this role. Kosiniak-Kamysz brings an impressive resume to his new role. Before his appointment in Vienna, the 67-year-old diplomat served as Polish ambassador to Slovakia (2003–2007), Canada (2010–2013), and Singapore (2014–2018). He also served as undersecretary in key Polish ministries, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration (2001–2003) – where he was responsible for integration with the European Union, among other things – and the Ministry of National Defense (2008–2009).
He began his diplomatic career in 1990 as First Secretary at the Embassy in Budapest. Later, he served as Commercial Counselor and Head of the Economic and Trade Department at the Embassy in Berlin (1996–2001), among other positions. The new ambassador in Vienna speaks fluent German, English, Slovak, and Russian in addition to his native Polish and is married to Katarzyna Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Political and family connections
Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz is a graduate of the Technical University of Dresden (1981) and the University of Economics in Krakow (postgraduate studies 1983). He is affiliated with the Polish People's Party (PSL), on whose recommendation he took up his first position as undersecretary of state in 2001.
He comes from a prominent family: he is the brother of Prof. Kazimierz Kosiniak-Kamysz and Andrzej Kosiniak-Kamysz (former Minister of Health 1989–91) and the uncle of Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the current Deputy Prime Minister of Poland (since 2023) and party leader of the PSL.
Awards
Kosiniak-Kamysz has received numerous awards for his services, including the Polish Silver Cross of Merit (2002) and the Commander's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (2009). In 2008, Slovakia awarded him the Order of the White Double Cross, Second Class.
More information about Mr. Kosiniak-Kamysz:
| Personal Details | |
| Date of Birth: | February 25, 1958 |
| Nationality: | Polish |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Education: | Higher education (University degree) |
| Professional Experience | |
| Period | Position / Role |
| From July 2025 | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vienna, Austria |
| From October 2024 | Head of Post (Chargé d'affaires a.i.), Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vienna, Austria |
| August 2018 – February 2023 | Minister-Counsellor, Department of Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Warsaw, Poland |
| July 2014 – July 2018 | Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Singapore |
| January 2010 – August 2013 | Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Canada |
| March 2008 – December 2009 | Undersecretary of State for Armaments and Modernization of the Armed Forces, Ministry of National Defence, Warsaw, Poland |
| August 2003 – June 2007 | Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Slovakia |
| October 2001 – March 2003 | Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Member of the Negotiating Team for the Accession of the Republic of Poland to the European Union |
| August 1996 – October 2001 | Commercial Counsellor and Head of the Economic and Commercial Department, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Berlin, Germany |
| January 1990 – September 1994 | First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Budapest, Hungary |
| Joined the Foreign Service in 1990. | |
| Language Skills | |
| Languages: | German (Fluent); English (Fluent); Slovak (Fluent); Russian (Fluent) |