Balz Abplanalp

Since the 1st of September 2026 Ambassador Balz Abplanalp is leading the Technology and Prosperity Division in the State Secretariat of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Prior to his arrival in Bern, he was Consul General of Switzerland in San Francisco and Ambassador of Switzerland to the Sultanate of Oman and to the Republic of Yemen. During his 25 years in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) he held positions as Deputy Head of Mission at the Swiss Embassies in South Africa and in Colombia, as Science and Technology Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the EU in Brussels, as Diplomatic Advisor for Switzerland’s Chairmanship of the European Space Agency and as Desk Officer for the Swiss-US relations in Berne. Prior to joining the FDFA he worked as journalist, high school teacher, and lobbyist for the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Mr. Abplanalp has a Master’s Degree in Geography and Contemporary History, and Economics from the University of Fribourg as well as a Master’s Degree in Advanced European Studies from the University of Basel.