Born on 12 January 1962 in Halifax, Canada, François Alabrune began his career in 1988 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was assigned to the Legal Affairs Directorate.

In 1992, he joined France's Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.

From 1996 to 2000, he was assigned to France's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, where he served as legal adviser.

He then joined the central administration, where he served as Deputy Director of Legal Affairs.

In 2004, he was appointed Consul General in Quebec City, a position he held until 2009.

In 2009, he became Ambassador and Permanent Representative of France to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna.

In 2014, he was appointed Director of Legal Affairs and Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until 2022.

Since 2022, he has also been an International Gender Champion.

In September 2022, he became Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

François Alabrune was a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) from 2016 to 2024.

He holds a law degree and is a graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Studies and the National School of Administration (Michel de Montaigne class).