David Grichting appointed head of the FDFA's Directorate for Resources DR
Bern, 07.06.2024 - The Federal Council appointed David Grichting as the new head of the Directorate for Resources (DR) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in its meeting on 7 June 2024. David Grichting currently heads the FDFA’s Consular Directorate (CD). He will take up his new post on 1 January 2025 succeeding to Tania Cavassini, who has been appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco by the Federal Council. The FDFA will appoint a selection committee to to evaluate candidates to succeed David Grichting.
The Directorate for Resources (DR) is responsible for ensuring the availability and management of resources within the FDFA. It provides the services required by the department as a whole, in particular for Switzerland’s network of representations abroad. The directorate comprises Human Resources, Finance, IT, Legal Services, Data Protection, Transparency and Information Security, Language Services, and a Staff Office. As such the DR is the competence and service centre for the FDFA and its network of representations. The Passport Office and the Swiss Government Travel Centre provide their services to the entire Federal Administration.
David Grichting is a business economist and holds an MBA from the University of Rochester (NY). He has held various management positions in the private sector, notably in telecommunications, where he led various transformation projects for a multinational company. David Grichting joined the FDFA in 2009 and has extensive experience in Switzerland and abroad. From 2016 to 2021 he was Deputy Director of the Directorate of Resources (DR) and the FDFA’s Head of Finance. David Grichting also served as the Swiss Government’s representative on the board of the Foundation for Buildings for International Organizations (FIPOI) in Geneva from 2020 to 2023.
Appointment of ambassadors
Roberto Balzaretti, currently head of mission in Paris, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Italian Republic, based in Rome. He will take up his new post in January 2025.
Alvaro Borghi, most recently deputy head of mission in Kyiv, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and the Republic of Paraguay, and permanent observer of Switzerland to the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), based in Montevideo. He will take up his new post in September 2024.
Tania Cavassini, currently head of the Directorate for Resources (DR) of the FDFA in Bern, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco, based in Paris. She will take up her new post in January 2025.
Maja Messmer Mokhtar, currently deputy head of mission in Beirut, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Plurinational State of Bolivia, based in La Paz. She will take up her new post in February 2025.
Jenny Piaget, most recently head of the Human Rights Diplomacy Section in the Peace and Human Rights Division of the FDFA State Secretariat, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Ireland, based in Dublin. She will take up her new post in September 2024.
Riccarda Torriani, currently deputy head of mission in Ankara, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Costa Rica, the Republic of El Salvador, the Republic of Nicaragua and the Republic of Panama, based in San José. She will take up her new post in autumn 2024.
Conferment of ambassadorial titles
Alexandre Edelmann, most recently head ad interim of Presence Switzerland in the FDFA General Secretariat in Bern, was awarded the title of ambassador for his new role as head of Presence Switzerland in the FDFA General Secretariat in Bern. He takes up his new post in June 2024.
Beatrice Schaer, most recently consul general in Istanbul, was awarded the title of ambassador for her new role as special envoy for the Road to Geneva and the Ukraine Mine Action Conference 2024 in the Peace and Human Rights Division of the FDFA State Secretariat in Bern. She took up her new post in January 2024.
Barbara Schedler Fischer, currently deputy head of mission in Vienna, was awarded the title of ambassador for her new role as deputy director and head of the International Affairs Division at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) in the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) in Bern. She will take up her new post in August 2024.
Monika Schmutz Kirgöz, currently head of mission in Rome, was awarded the title of ambassador for her new role as head of the Middle East and North Africa Division (MENA) of the FDFA State Secretariat in Bern. She will take up her new post in January 2025.
Address for enquiries
For further information:
FDFA Communication
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
