Hugo Llorens, Former Ambassador, Shares His Life as a Diplomat

April’s Lunch with Friends was in for a treat as guest speaker, retired Ambassador to Afghanistan Hugo Llorens, shared bits and pieces of his 36 years as a diplomat.

In 2016-2017, Ambassador Hugo Llorens served as the Special Charge D’Affaires and Chief of Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. In Kabul he led the largest U.S. Embassy in the world with a staff of 8,500 U.S., Afghan and Third Country National employees representing 22 U.S. government agencies. According to Ambassador Llorens, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of a U.S. Mission in the middle of a war zone.

Hugo Llorens retired (December 31, 2017) from foreign service and currently makes his home on Marco Island, Florida. With 36 years of diplomatic experience, he leverages his network of global contacts to enhance his clients’ business prospects. He also does public speaking on leadership and foreign affairs issues. Today, Llorens wanted to share what it’s like to be a career diplomat.

As a young kid growing up in Queens, New York his parents always fostered an interest in history and the world. Llorens received his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and immediately took the Foreign Service Exam and managed to pass it. He then went to University of Kent at Canterbury, England for graduate studies in Economics and upon his return, Llorens joined Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City before joining the Foreign Service in 1981.

The early years. According to Llorens, he spent two years in Manila and then went from the heart of the tropics to La Paz, Bolivia (12,500 feet above sea level) in the heart of South America, where he met Lisette, his wife of 37 years. As a young diplomat he loved his career. 

His third assignment as a young diplomat was Paraguay which was their first tour together and where his two sons, Andrew and Dirk were born. It was now a team of Hugo, Lisette, Andrew and Dirk traveling all over the world for 30 years.

On a personal side, Llorens talked about moving every two to three years and taking your children from their school, friends, community to a different country, culture and language. Hugo’s wife was a journalist, and she had to give up her career.

“The benefits far outweighed the pain,” shared Llorens. His children have lived in eight different countries and have acquired a remarkable world view; foreign service was a great survival school for them.

“One of the great things about being a diplomat, it never grows stale; you get to serve your country and your flag and you get a different position for each move.” Llorens admits that “change was good for me – it fitted my style.”

In the Foreign Service you have your regular job during the day but there is another just as important job at night. This is where you get to do your networking during evening receptions and dinners, where you meet that minister of governments or a powerful local businessman.

Diplomats are the eyes and ears of the U.S. government in foreign countries. This is where you get your information. Information is power and you put together reports on local developments and send it to Washington so they know what’s going on.

According to Llorens, the first line of U.S. defense are the diplomats in foreign countries. In Poland, in the front lines of Ukraine, the U.S. Embassy is doing the work. It is when diplomacy fails that we get into an arms conflict. It is the diplomat, not the military that articulates the United States position so that you get your Allies and the Swedes to say “yes, I will give military aid to Ukraine.”

Many thanks to supporters Marco Lutheran Church, Ambassador Hugo Llorens, Condee Electric, YMCA of South Collier, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry and all the volunteers and luncheon sponsors.

Please save the date:  May 18, 2022 at Marco Lutheran Church. Please rsvp at 706-566-8532.