The Ambassador: Markus Leitner

Lucy Kenningham | 1st February 2022 | Brussels, Diplomacy, Embassy News
Screenshot 2022-02-01 at 15.13.23

The Swiss Ambassador on how regular referenda and a devolved government embeds Switzerland's politics with accountability and rooted decisionmaking

Markus Leitner was appointed Swiss ambassador to the United Kingdom in August 2021. He has worked in South Africa and Chile and is a former ambassador to Iran and Egypt. Interview by Lucy Kenningham. Can you pinpoint a highlight of your career so far? I’ve been lucky in the timings of my placements. I was in South Africa during Thabo Mbeki’s presidency. It was an optimistic period:  Nelson Mandela was still alive, prices for resource exports were high. It was the same in Chile – the copper price was high and the country was thriving.  Egypt, though, was a different story. I handed my letter of credentials to President Morsi who was in prison two weeks later. It was a dramatic and drastic start, and a very uncertain time.  I started in Iran at the same time as the new American president (Trump) took the US out of the nuclear agreement, changing things dramatically. It was an extremely challenging yet interesting few years.  Perhaps the real highlight is still to come? I’ve already had o...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



Huawei Faces Brussels Courtroom Over Corruption Allegations

Mace | April 4, 2025

Huawei representatives faced a Brussels court this week, accused of corruption and money laundering linked to their lobbying efforts in the EU. As the investigation unfolds, it could

Brussels faces transparency showdown as Patriots for Europe target EU funding contracts

Mace | April 2, 2025

Patriots for Europe has launched an unprecedented transparency offensive, submitting 86 freedom of information requests to the European Commission demanding access to thousands of EU contracts with NGOs.

Index Launch: Countries With The Most Effective Anti-Smoking Policies

Federico N. Fernández | November 21, 2022

The "Effective Anti-smoking Policies" Index analyses public policies aimed to eradicate smoking, in 59 countries

The EU Special Representative to the Gulf will play a key role in EU-GCC relationship

Mace | November 21, 2022

Luigi Di Maio's candidacy irks key countries across the EU and the Gulf

Europe’s Energy Crisis Requires Innovative Solutions

Mehmet Katmer | November 20, 2022

Policymakers must ensure that Europe's demand needs are met in an affordable way while at the same time supporting the transition to low-carbon fuels.

The E.U. Should Follow the U.K.’s Model on Due Diligence

Michiel Hoogeveen | November 10, 2022

The U.K.’s current political and economic turmoil offers a model that no one on the continent would wish to follow right now – but its Due Diligence system,

Tackling Europe’s mental health crisis

Dimitrios Vartzopoulos | July 20, 2022

Mental health crisis is a complex problem, but there are simple things Europeans can do to cope

Spain’s Remembrance Backsliding

Jorge González-Gallarza | July 13, 2022

By directing the state’s remembrance policy towards score-settling, Spain’s left-wing government is dangerously reawakening a long-defunct conflict.

Eastern promise: visiting Azerbaijan

Christopher Silvester | May 23, 2022

Azerbaijan and its capital Baku have become must-visit tourist destinations

With or without EU

Jorge González-Gallarza | May 20, 2022

Did post-imperial syndrome cause Britain to join and then leave the EU?