Dr. Eltje Aderhold studied law at the University of Bonn and was awarded a doctorate in law in 1991. She joined the German Foreign Service in 1992.

Since then, she has held various postings at German Missions including in Hanoi and Kabul, at the United Nations in Geneva and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Vienna. At the German Bundestag she held the position as scientific coordinator for International Politics. Before coming to Jeddah she served as German Consul General in St. Petersburg, Russia.

She took up her duties in Jeddah in September 2020.