Dominik Stillhart to head Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit
Bern, 02.12.2022 - At its 2 December 2022 meeting, the Federal Council appointed Dominik Stillhart as its new delegate for humanitarian aid and head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA). Mr Stillhart is currently working for the ICRC in Geneva. He succeeds Manuel Bessler, who will be retiring at the end of March 2023. The Federal Council also appointed David Grichting as the new head of the Consular Directorate of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The council's appointments included new ambassadors (as part of the periodic transfer rotation) as well.
Mr Stillhart (58) will take up his post at the FDFA on 1 March 2023. The future delegate for humanitarian aid will also become a deputy director general of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Mr Stillhart is currently head of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva.
Thanks to his many years of experience in humanitarian aid, particularly in the context of his career at the ICRC, Mr Stillhart has the skills needed to implement the Swiss International Cooperation Strategy 2021–24, thereby making a decisive contribution to the Federal Council's foreign policy strategy.
New head of the Consular Directorate
The Federal Council also appointed David Grichting as the new head of the Consular Directorate (KD). The 43-year-old will take office on 1 April 2023, succeeding Johannes Matyassy, who will retire in spring 2023. Mr Grichting joined the FDFA in 2009 and is currently head of mission of the Swiss embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan.
As the new head of the Consular Directorate, Mr Grichting will, among other things, implement the plans to modernise the international regulations of Switzerland's consular services and drive forward the work to digitally optimise these services. The Consular Directorate is the central point of contact for consular services worldwide and ensures smooth coordination within the Federal Administration of matters concerning the Swiss abroad.
Ambassadorial appointments
Krisztina Bende, currently director of trade relations at EFTA in Geneva, was appointed Switzerland's permanent representative to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), based in Rome. She was also awarded the title of ambassador to exercise this new role.
Catherine Cudré-Mauroux, currently head of the Organisation, Legal and Accreditation division at SECO in Bern, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and head of the Swiss delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), based in Paris.
Patrick Egloff, currently deputy head of mission (in a job-sharing arrangement) in Nairobi, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Sudan and the State of Eritrea, based in Khartoum.
Manuela Leimgruber, currently deputy head of mission (job-sharing) in Nairobi, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Holy See, the Republic of Malta and the Republic of San Marino, based in Rome.
Ambassadorial titles awarded
Térence Billeter, currently head (with the title of ambassador) of the Presidential Affairs Unit of the Federal Chancellery (in the area of communications and strategy) was awarded the title of ambassador to exercise his new role as head of Protocol (FDFA State Secretariat) in Bern.
Muriel Peneveyre, currently head of mission in Baku, was awarded the title of ambassador to exercise her new role as head of the Eurasia Division of the FDFA State Secretariat in Bern.
Philipp Stalder, until recently head of mission in Accra and currently political adviser at Internal Audit (FDFA General Secretariat) in Bern, was awarded the title of ambassador to exercise his new role as head of the Africa Division at the FDFA State Secretariat in Bern.
In addition, the FDFA informed the Federal Council that Thomas Gürber was awarded the title of FDFA deputy state secretary as of the first of January 2023. Mr Gürber has been head (bearing the title of ambassador) of the UN Division of the FDFA State Secretariat in Bern since August 2022. His predecessor is the current head of the Consular Directorate (KD), Johannes Matyassy, who will retire in spring 2023.
Address for enquiries
For further information:
FDFA Communication
Tel. +41 58 462 31 53
Tel. Press service +41 460 55 55
kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Publisher
The Federal Council
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
