Hugh Adsett, Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the OPCW

Biography 

Hugh Adsett joined Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1995, after trying his hand at several jobs, including working as a journalist in New Brunswick; as an articling student for a law firm in Ottawa; and as a human rights field officer for the United Nations in Rwanda. At headquarters in the Department, he has worked in several divisions, including the peacebuilding division and as director general for the foreign policy bureau, but most of his career in Ottawa has been in the Legal Affairs Bureau, including serving as legal adviser. Abroad, Mr. Adsett has served in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, in New York City; and as ambassador and permanent representative of Canada to the Organization of American States, in Washington, D.C. He presented credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in October 2023. Mr. Adsett holds a BA from Mount Allison University, an MA in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario, and an LLB from Queen’s University.