A diplomat, executive, and European Union official who serves as the European Union's Sanctions Envoy, a position he assumed in January 2023 following his appointment in December 2022.
His extensive diplomatic career includes serving as Ambassador of the European Union to the United States (2014–2019) and as the inaugural Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Within the European Commission, he held senior leadership appointments, including Director-General for Trade (2005–2010), Secretary-General of the European Commission (2000–2005), and Chief of Staff to European Commission President Romano Prodi (1999–2000).
In the private and non-profit sectors, he worked as Director-General of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) and as Senior Counsellor in the Brussels office of a global law firm. He began his public service career at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. He holds degrees from Trinity College Dublin and the College of Europe in Bruges, alongside Honorary Doctorates from Trinity College Dublin and the Dublin Institute of Technology.