Born on 31 May 1952 in Paris, France, Hamzah was educated at Jayabaya University in West Java.

[3] Hamzah was temporarily recalled to Indonesia when the Australian Government granted the Papuans asylum.

In 2012, he was part of the State visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the United Kingdom.

[5] In 2013, Hamzah was named 'Diplomat of the Year from Asia 2013' by The Diplomat, whilst serving as Indonesian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

[6] His father Hadi Thayeb had also been the Indonesian ambassador to the UK and Ireland, in the early 1990s.