Laura Sarabia

Colombian politician (born 1994) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Laura Camila Sarabia Torres (born March 20, 1994) is a Colombian politician and diplomat who has served as Colombian Ambassador to the United Kingdom since 2025.

PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byRoy Barreras
PresidentGustavo Petro
Quick facts Colombian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, President ...
Laura Sarabia
Official portrait, 2022
Colombian Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Assumed office
October 1, 2025
PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byRoy Barreras
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
January 29, 2025  July 3, 2025
PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byLuis Gilberto Murillo
Succeeded byYolanda Villavicencio
General Director of Administrative Department of the Presidency
In office
February 23, 2024  January 20, 2025
PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byCarlos Ramón González
Succeeded byJorge Rojas
General Director of Social Prosperity
In office
September 4, 2023  February 19, 2024
PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byCielo Rusinque
Succeeded byGustavo Bolívar
Chief of Staff of the Presidency
In office
August 7, 2022  June 2, 2023
PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byMaría Paula Correa
Succeeded byArmando Benedetti
Personal details
BornLaura Camila Sarabia Torres
(1994-03-20) March 20, 1994 (age 32)
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
PartyIndependent
(since 2020)
Alma materUniversidad Militar Nueva Granada
OccupationPolitician
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Sarabia was born in Bogotá, D.C. She graduated with a degree in international relations from the Nueva Granada Military University. After serving as head of debate and communications advisor for Gustavo Petro 2022 presidential campaign, she was appointed Chief of Staff at the Casa de Nariño.[1] As head of the Casa de Nariño office, Sarabia was considered Petro's right-hand woman, a position she held for two years. [2] In September 2023, she was appointed General Director of Social Prosperity, a position she held until February 2024, when the Petro administration restructured the administrative department of the presidency, appointing her general director.[3] She remained in this role until January 2025, when she was announced for her fourth position in the administration, this time as Minister of Foreign Affairs.[4]

Due to her influence on the Petro administration's policies, she was described as the "most powerful woman in the country." Sarabia became the second woman to serve as Colombian ambassador to the United Kingdom, and her tenure in the Petro administration has made her the most powerful official in the all administration.[5][6]

Career

Sarabia is a graduate of the Nueva Granada Military University in international relations and has a specialization in political,[7] marketing and campaign strategies. Upon graduating, she worked as secretary to then-Congressman Armando Benedetti, who later introduced her to Gustavo Petro’s presidential campaign and subsequently into the administration.[8] She then served as strategic chief of the presidential campaign of Gustavo Petro,[9] on July 25 she was appointed to the position of chief of staff from which she was removed on 2 June 2023, following the revelation of evidence allegedly implicating her in illegal phone interceptions.

Sarabia was one of two political allies that were involved in the Petro administration that resigned following the scandal, including Armando Benedetti but later returned.[10]

Chief of Staff of the Presidency (2022-2023)

Sarabia was announced as Chief of Staff of the Presidency in July 2022 and took office in August 2022. Her tenure as President Petro's right-hand man ended with her resignation in June 2023 amid allegations of abuse of power by one of her private employees, who alleged was subject to a polygraph test in the basement of the Casa de Nariño. The police man involved, died in mysterious circumstances .[11][12][13][14][15][16]

General Director of Social Prosperity (2023-2024)

In September 2023, she took office as General Director of Social Prosperity, replacing Cielo Rusinque.[17][18][19] Her time at the Administrative Department of Social Prosperity was less than a year, making her one of the shortest-serving directors of the agency.[20][21][22]

General Director of Administrative Department of the Presidency (2024-2025)

In February 2024, she took office as General Director of Administrative Department of the Presidency.[23][24][25] After its restructuring, her functions were gradually similar to those of her previous position as Chief of Staff of the Presidency, this time having administrative-level powers within the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic, as well as at the level of his dependencies.[26][27][28] Her role as General Director of the DAPRE generated diverse opinions and rethought its role within the Petro administration.[29][30][31][32][33][excessive citations]

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2025)

Official portrait, 2025

On January 28, 2025, she assumed her fourth position in the Petro administration as Minister of Foreign Affairs, which generated controversy from some Cabinet members, leading to later resignations due to the status of Sarabia and Armando Benedetti in the administration. She resigned in early July 2025.

References

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