Ludovic Hood

Senior Advisor

Former Special Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence and Former Counselor to the Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine

Ludovic Hood is a Senior Advisor with WestExec Advisors and a foreign policy and geopolitical expert with 25 years of experience at the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations. He is also a senior fellow with Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East.

Ludo retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2026 after a 20-year career focused on the Middle East and Europe. He served at U.S. embassies in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and France. In Washington, DC, he served as chief of staff and counselor to the special presidential envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg; senior adviser to Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism; special adviser for the Middle East to Vice President Mike Pence; and senior Lebanon desk officer, among other assignments.

Ludo worked for the United Nations for five years in Timor-Leste and New York City. He started his career at an investment bank in New York.

Ludo earned a BA from Brown University and an MA from Columbia University. His articles have been published in academic journals and newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, and the National Interest, and his media appearances include CNN. He has taught a graduate seminar at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.Raised in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, Ludo lives with his wife and two daughters in Washington, DC. He is an accomplished competitive rower and board member of Potomac Boat Club.