Hansen

Bjorn Hansen is European Chemicals Agency´s (ECHA) Executive Director. He is ECHA’s legal representative, in charge of the day-to-day management and all staff matters. Bjorn is ECHA’s second Executive Director with a mandate running from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022.

After a post-doc in probability theory in Germany, he joined the European Commission in 1991. Working first at the European Chemicals Bureau at the Joint Research Centre in Italy, and then from 2003 in the Chemicals Unit of DG Environment in Belgium. There, Bjorn became Head of Unit in 2012. He already spent one year in ECHA in 2007-2008 as Director of Operations.

Bjorn was involved in developing REACH and CLP from their very early days. He has been involved in international chemicals work since 1991, with highlights including being elected Chair of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials and chairing several contact groups at three consecutive UN triple COPs.