Who's Who – Brendan Hanrahan: Thanked Kosovo for accepting deportees from the U.S.

A former associate of Marco Rubio from the time when the U.S. Senator chaired the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, a business consultant, and since April this year, a senior official at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. State Department, Brendan Hanrahan has announced a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated that he looks forward to strengthening ties between the United States and the countries in the region.

According to his official biography, before joining the State Department, Hanrahan was an investor at Bain Capital in the North American private equity team, where he led projects and collaborated with companies in the consumer and business services sectors.

Previously, he worked as a policy advisor on the Senate Committee for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he supported clients in both the public and private sectors.

Upon his appointment as a senior official at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, at a time of rising tensions between Europe and the U.S., the media noted as a curiosity that he had no documented direct experience in traditional foreign policy.

Reuters reported that it was unclear whether Hanrahan was brought in on a temporary or long-term basis, as senior official positions at the bureau are often filled in an acting capacity when the Assistant Secretary role—confirmed by the Senate—remains vacant.

His upcoming visit to the region will be the first by a senior U.S. official since Donald Trump began his second term.

Notably, on June 14, Hanrahan thanked Kosovo on X for agreeing to accept migrants from third countries who had been deported from the United States.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who is currently in Washington, announced yesterday that she met with Hanrahan. According to her, the meeting at the State Department reaffirmed the commitment to deepening the strategic partnership between Kosovo and the U.S.

Brendan Hanrahan holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College (2010–2014) and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (2019–2021).