Xavier Chatel, born on April 7th, 1976, studied at the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in Paris, the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and the Ecole des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris. He began his career in the French Foreign Service in 2004, initially working at the Foreign Ministry’s Strategic Directorate, where he was responsible for NATO and European Defense from 2004 to 2007. He was then posted to the French Permanent Representation to the United Nations in New York, serving as a negotiator on key issues including Iran, North Korea, nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and the war in Georgia from 2007 to 2010. Following this, Chatel was assigned to the French Embassy in London, where he served as Political Adviser from 2010 to 2012 and then as the Embassy Spokesperson from 2012 to 2014. He returned to France to take on the role of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, a position he held from 2014 to 2017. From May 2017 to August 2020, Xavier Chatel served as the diplomatic adviser to Florence Parly, the Minister for the Armed Forces. He then assumed the role of Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from September 2020 to October 2022. His service was recognized in June 2022 when he was awarded the distinction of Knight in the Order of Merit. In October 2022, Xavier Chatel was appointed as Advisor for Strategic Affairs in President Macron’s diplomatic team.