Born to a diplomatic family, Dino Patti Djalal is deeply ingrained in the manners of international relations. He was born in the former Yugoslavia and his childhood was spent in many places around the world.

In 1987, Djalal joined Indonesia's Department of Foreign Affairs and quickly rose the ranks, becoming a diplomat himself and being posted to London, Dili in what’s now East Timor, and Washington, DC. In 1999, the world watched when he became the Indonesian Government spokesperson in the UN referendum in East Timor. Under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Djalal served as the president’s spokesperson, speechwriter, and foreign-policy adviser.

Djalal later took on other positions for the government including as Indonesia's ambassador to the United States (2010-2013) and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs (2014). Djalal received the state's highest orders of merit for his service to the country, including the Bintang Jasa Utama medal (2010) and the Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana award (2014).

He has authored 11 books; the best-known is Harus Bisa, a book about leadership, which became a national hit in selling about 2 million copies. He earned his degree at Simon Fraser University, Canada and his doctorate in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.