Helmuts Kols

Helmuts Kols is an expert in Eurasian affairs with specialisation in international railway and seaport cooperation. Kols has made considerable contributions to Latvia’s transport and logistics sectors integration in the Eurasian transport network.

Kols started his career in 2005 at the freight transport department of State Joint Stock Company Latvian Railways. His main responsibilities were the development of containerized block-train services and realization of international cooperation projects with Russia, Central Asian countries, Far East Asia and China.

Afterwards, Kols was appointed as the Adviser to the Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Latvia, Adviser to the Board of LDZ Cargo and Chairman of the Board of LDZ Cargo Logistika. From 2009 to 2013 Kols worked at the Riga Commercial Port as the Member of the Board and later as Member of the Council, developing sea-rail transportation services and solutions. In 2013,  Kols relocated to China to work as the advisor to Australian, Danish, and Hong Kong trading, investment consulting and tourism companies. In 2016 Kols was appointed as the Attaché of the Ministry of Transport at the Embassy of Latvia in China.

Kols has been active in community work in promoting the Sino-Latvian relations, between 2005-2009 - as the public representative of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency in China, and between 2011-2016, as the Honorary Representative of Riga City Council in China.

Kols obtained a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Technology, Sydney and a subsequent Masters of International Business and Law degree with Merit from the University of Sydney, Australia. In 2006  Kols was amongst the first students from Baltic States to be admitted to the Doctoral studies at Tsinghua University, Beijing. Kols is proficient in Latvian, Russian and English languages.