Livia Leu stylized Leu Agosti (; born 1961) is a Swiss attorney and diplomat. She currently serves as the State Secretary and EU-negotiator since 14 October 2020. Leu previously served as the Swiss Ambassador to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

between 2009 and 2013. She was the first female from Europe to hold this position. From 2018 to 2020, she served as the Swiss Ambassador to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. In fall 2023, she will succeed Paul Seger as Swiss Ambassador to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Early life and education

Leu was born in 1961 in Zürich, Switzerland however her parents hailed from

Grisons The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include: *german: (Kanton) Graubünden ; * Romansh: ** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cant ...

. Her father was famed Swiss hotelier and restaurateur Hans C. Leu (1930-2017). She was primarily raised in Arosa, where she attended local schools. She completed her Matura in Chur and then studied

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

at University of Zürich and

University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne (UNIL; french: links=no, Université de Lausanne) in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switzer ...

graduating in 1989 with a Licentiate.

Career

In 1989, after graduating, Leu entered the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and initially was employed as a trainee in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. Since May 1991 she held the position as a diplomatic associate in the section

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

/International Organizations. In 1994, she was transferred to the UN Headquarters in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she held the position of 2nd Embassy Secretary and was promoted to 1st Embassy Secretary in 1995 respectively to Embassy Counselor in 1998. Later she became vice chairman of the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

delegation in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, and a member of the group responsible for dealing with the

nuclear program of Iran The nuclear program of Iran is an ongoing scientific effort by Iran to research nuclear technology that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran has several research sites, two uranium mines, a research reactor, and uranium processing facilit ...

. Before serving as the Ambassador to Iran, Agosti was the head of the African and European Department of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Leu Agosti, has brought her sons, along with her husband, to Iran. Her husband, who is a biologist, an expert, and a researcher in the field of ants, is busy working in Iran. Before her departure, she announced that she would send her children to a German school in Iran. In 2018 she became the first woman to be the Swiss Ambassador to France and Monaco. She left her post on 14 October 2020. In 2020, she was appointed State Secretary and EU-negotiator by the Swiss government. In 2023, it became public that she would be succeeding Paul Seger as Ambassador to Germany.

Personal life

Leu is married to Donat Agosti,https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=mr4ptE4AAAAJ&hl=en who is a myrmecologist. They have two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leu Agosti, Livia Living people 21st-century diplomats 21st-century Swiss politicians 21st-century Swiss women politicians 1961 births Ambassadors of Switzerland to France People from Zürich Swiss women diplomats Swiss women ambassadors

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References