State Secretary Jacques de Watteville

Short Bio

Jacques de Watteville was born in Lausanne in 1951. He studied law and economics and earned a doctorate in law. In 1982, he began training as a diplomat and was, among other things, Switzerland's ambassador to Syria from 2003 to 2007. In his professional career, with posts in London, Brussels and Beijing, among other places, he has repeatedly dealt with problems with which Switzerland is confronted in the international financial sphere. As head of the Economic and Financial Affairs Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, he took part in various international negotiations with the EU, OECD and USA and contributed to the development of Switzerland's international financial and tax policy. As Ambassador and Head of the Swiss Mission to the EU in Brussels, he was particularly involved in negotiations and discussions on tax issues and institutional matters. As State Secretary, he has represented Switzerland's interests in international financial and tax matters vis-à-vis other countries since 1 November 2013.