Benita Ferrero-Waldner (born September 5, 1948) is an Austrian diplomat and politician. She is a member of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). Until 1983 she worked in the private sector. Only in 1984 did she enter the diplomatic service. One of her most influential positions was Chef de protocole for Secretary General Boutros-Ghali at the United Nations in New York.
From 1995 till 2000 she served as
Staatssekretärin in two governments led by Social Democrats. When Wolfgang Schüssel became Chancellor of Austria early in 2000 he made Ferrero-Waldner his Minister for Foreign Affairs, a position she held until October 2004, when she was succeeded by Ursula Plassnik.
In late July 2004 Ferrero-Waldner was nominated the successor of Franz Fischler as Austria's European Commissioner. She took office on November 22.