Martín Lousteau

Martín Lousteau, born in Buenos Aires in 1970, studied economics at the University of San Andrés and the London School of Economics. Before entering national electoral politics he advised the central bank, served as production minister in Buenos Aires Province, and headed Banco Provincia. As national economy minister in 2007–08, he promoted Resolution 125, the variable grain export tax measure that became the focus of a prolonged confrontation between the government and agricultural organizations. ^{1, 6}

President Mauricio Macri appointed Lousteau ambassador to the United States in 2016. His account of the assignment emphasized work beyond Washington: he visited Houston, California, Miami, and New York to connect energy, technology, tourism, and finance interests with Argentina's consular network. In a June 2016 interview, he described the settlement of the bondholder dispute as removing an obstacle to investment and distinguished the limited easing of visa interviews from the much longer process required for visa free entry. ²

Lousteau resigned in April 2017 to return to political work in Buenos Aires. His resignation letter described the embassy's objective as restoring international engagement and expanding bilateral cooperation, and said he was leaving reports on the mission's work and future priorities for his successor. He subsequently served again in the Chamber of Deputies, then in the Senate in 2019–25, and led the Radical Civic Union. He returned to the Chamber for the term beginning in December 2025. Alongside politics, he has written books explaining economic questions to a wider public. ^{3, 4, 5, 6}