Post by Shaharyar Ali Khan

The Ambassador Insider Series recently featured Ambassador Nicole Bitner Bakhsian of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, hosted by The Washington Diplomat at the Royal Sonesta Washington DC Dupont Circle. Ambassador Bakhsian has served as Luxembourg's Ambassador to the United States since August 2021. She also holds the position of non-resident ambassador to Canada and Mexico. Her impressive career includes roles as Deputy Chief of Mission in Beijing, China, and Bangkok, Thailand, as well as being Luxembourg’s first ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. In 2017, she established Luxembourg’s first regional embassy in Dakar, Senegal, which covers Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Also in attendance was Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, the current Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the United States. She made history in 2023 as the first Kuwaiti woman to hold this position, transitioning into diplomacy from both the private and public sectors. Prior to her appointment, she was a pioneering social entrepreneur and founded the National Creative Industries Group (NCIG). In public service, she served as Kuwait’s Undersecretary of State for Youth Affairs, leading the drafting of the country’s first National Youth Policy. Additionally, Magy Maccario Doyle, Ambassador to the United States, Canada, and Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States (OAS) from the Embassy of the Principality of Monaco, was present, along with many dignitaries and officials from the State Department and other diplomatic missions. Jan Du Plain, CEO and President of Du Plain Global Enterprises, Inc., a global public relations and special events company, also contributed to the event, representing various media, international, cultural, and diplomatic organizations.