Retno L.P. Marsudi  is a career diplomat who holds the highest degree in foreign service as Ambassador. Within the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Retno Marsudi has held the position as Director General of America and Europe since April 2008 until January 2012. She was responsible for overseeing Indonesia’s relations with 82 countries in America and Europe. Ambassador Retno Marsudi is the first female senior official in the history of the Ministry to ever hold such a position.

Prior to her assignment as Director General of America and Europe, she was Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Norway and the Republic of Iceland during the period of 2005 – 2008. Ambassador Marsudi received Order of Merit (Grand Officer-the Second Highest Decoration) from the the King of Norway on December 2011. She is the first Indonesian receiving this decoration. In her career as diplomat, she has been dealing not only with bilateral issues but regional and multilateral ones as well. Ambassador Retno Marsudi had also led various rounds of negotiations and bilateral consultations between Indonesia and its counterparts including the European Union (EU), as well as within inter-regional meetings as in Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and Forum for East Asia – Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

During the period of 2003 – 2005, she served as Director for West European Affairs after taking up earlier position between 2001 – 2003 as Director of Inter-Regional Cooperation of America and Europe. Ever since joining the Ministry in 1986, Ambassador Marsudi went through a string of duties as Deputy Director for Multilateral Economic Cooperation, Head of Economic Section at the Indonesian Embassy in Den Haag, Head of Section who was responsible for environmental issues at the Directorate of Multilateral Economic Cooperation, and a press officer at the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra.

Ambassador Marsudi graduated from the Gadjah Mada University, Jogjakarta in 1985. Over the years, several studies were also pursued namely on “European Union Law” at The Hoogse Haagse School in Den Haag, “Human Rights Study” at the Oslo University. She completed her compulsory diplomatic trainings in 1986, 1996, and 2002. From time to time, Ambassador Marsudi actively contributes her views through a number of articles on international relations issues, particularly the Indonesian bilateral relations with various countries.

Ambassador Retno Marsudi is married to Agus Marsudi, an architect graduated from Gadjah Mada University, Jogjakarta and Delft University, the Netherlands. The couple are blessed with two sons, Dyota Marsudi (graduated from Indonesia University, majoring in Accounting in 2010 and now joining an American consulting company, The Boston Consulting Group), and Bagas Marsudi (a medical student at the Gadjah Mada University, 2010).