Mr. Hamid Ali Rao assumed charge as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 24 September, 2011.

            Before arriving in Saudi Arabia he was Ambassador & Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva from 18 December, 2007 to 10 September, 2011. He was Joint Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs from August, 2004 to December, 2007. During this period, he was Head of the Disarmament and International Security Division from August 2005 to December 2007 and, prior to that, of UN Division.

              Mr. Rao joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1981. In his first stint at MEA Headquarters (1985-95), he worked as US (SAARC), DS (UN), and OSD for Press Relations. He was Private Secretary to the External Affairs Minister from 1993-95.

             His earlier assignments abroad were in Vienna as Third/Second Secretary, as Counsellor in PMI, Geneva; as Counsellor in HCI, Dhaka, and as DCM in the Indian Embassy in Vienna (2001-2004).