Francis Zachariae is secretary general of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) since February 2015.
After leaving high school, Francis joined the Royal Danish Naval Academy, followed in 1983 by service aboard several naval ships. From 1988 to 1990, he was aide-de-camp to the minister of defense, after which he went back to sea.
At the same time as he was working with the Danish Ministry of Defense, he also completed a Master of Science degree in public administration, following which he was promoted to Captain (Naval) and appointed to Brussels to become branch chief and advisor of the EU Council Secretariat. This was his second experience abroad.
From 1993 to 1994, Francis attended the Collège Interarmées de Défense in Paris, France. In 2006 he was back at the Naval Academy, this time as commandant. From 2007, he was the deputy director-general of the Danish Maritime Safety Administration and in 2011, the deputy director-general of the Danish Maritime Authority. His main tasks were related to maritime regulation, safety of navigation and pilotage in the Danish, Greenland and Faroese waters.
Francis resides in Paris, France, with his wife Jane. They have two grown up sons.
