Laurent Bili

Laurent Bili joined the French foreign ministry's strategic affairs and disarmament directorate in 1991 after graduating from the École nationale d'administration. He worked as a diplomatic adviser in the defence ministry and later directed the office of the minister responsible for European affairs. A presidential advisory appointment followed in 2002. ¹

His career then combined ambassadorial assignments in Thailand, Turkey, and Brazil with leadership of the defence minister's civilian and military staff. As director-general for global affairs he also helped prepare France's participation in the G7 and G20. He served in Beijing from September 2019 to January 2023 before his Washington appointment. ¹

In the United States, Bili's public work included commemorating the wartime alliance. At the National WWII Museum in New Orleans on 27 February 2024, he presented the Legion of Honor to Samuel Meyer, an American veteran of the air war in Europe, and paid tribute to Meyer's service. ^{2, 3}