Anna Maria Anders (London, 22 November 1950) is the ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Italy and to San Marino.

Life

Anders is the daughter of the World War II Commander of the Polish Forces at the Battle of

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

, General

Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyears ...

and his wife, the singer and actress Irena Renata Anders, also known as Renata Bogdanska. She was born in London, England and graduated from

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

with an Honours Degree in Modern Languages (1973). She also has a

Masters in Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

(MBA) from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

(1992). In 1986 Anna Maria Anders married United States Army Colonel Robert Alexander Costa, with whom she has a son, Robert Wladyslaw Costa, who is also an officer in the US Army. After graduating from

, Anna Maria Anders worked as an Account Executive at a financial PR and advertising firm in the City of London. In the late 1970s, she moved to Paris, France where she worked in the communications department of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. In 1980 she joined Rezayat Paris, a branch office of an international conglomerate with investments and joint ventures in the Middle East, Europe, USA and Asia. In 1994, Anders relocated to the United States with her family. Following the death of her mother in 2010, she took over her mother's role and began travelling to Poland on a regular basis, visiting schools and attending military and government ceremonies. For her services to Polish veterans in the United Kingdom and popularising the exploits of the

2nd Polish Corps The Polish II Corps ( pl, Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought wit ...

during World War II, she was awarded the

Gold Cross of Merit The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awa ...

by Polish President

Bronisław Komorowski Bronisław Maria Komorowski (; born 4 June 1952) is a Polish politician and historian who served as President of Poland from 2010 to 2015. Komorowski served as Minister of Defence from 2000 to 2001. As Marshal of the Sejm, Komorowski exercised ...

. In 2015, she was presented with the Honorary Badge of the Association of Siberian Deportees. Since 2015, Anders has been an Honorary Member of the Reserve Officers Association of Poland. She was the Plenipotentiary for International Dialogue in the rank of Secretary of State in the government of Poland's Prime Minister,

Mateusz Morawiecki Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki (; born 20 June 1968) is a Polish economist, historian and politician who has served as prime minister of Poland since 2017. A member of Law and Justice (PiS), he previously served in the cabinet of prime minister Beata ...

. In March 2016, she was elected to Poland's Senate in a by-election and represents Poland's eastern flank, which includes

Łomża Łomża (), in English known as Lomza, is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship si ...

Augustów Augustów (; lt, Augustavas, formerly known in English as ''Augustovo'' or ''Augustowo'')" is a city in north-eastern Poland with 29,729 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is situated in the ...

and

Suwałki Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki i ...

. She also represents Poland in the WIP (

Women in Parliaments Global Forum Women Political Leaders (WPL) is the global network of female political leaders at national level, including the European Parliament, of whom there are currently around 9,000. WPL provides a platform for the exchange of ideas, experiences and ...

), a global network of female parliamentarians that supports greater participation of women in politics and promotes equal rights of women worldwide. In August 2019, she was nominated to be the Polish ambassador to Italy, which was also accredited to

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

. In her present position, Ambassador Anders represents Poland abroad. She is a passionate supporter of military and veterans affairs.

Distinction

* Gold Cross of Merit, 2014 * Honorary Badge of the Association of Siberian Deportees, 2015 * Honorary Member of the Reserve Officers Association of Poland, 2015

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anders, Anna Maria 1950 births Alumni of the University of Bristol Ambassadors of Poland to Italy British expatriates in the United States English people of Polish descent Law and Justice politicians Living people Members of the Senate of Poland 2015–2019 21st-century Polish women politicians Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Boston University School of Management alumni British expatriates in France Polish women ambassadors