JEAN MONNET AMBASSADOR LECTURE SERIES (ALES) 2019
Date: 17th April 2019 (Wednesday) • 3.00pm • Asia-Europe Institute (AEI), University of Malaya
Ambassador Michael WINZAP
Ambassador of Switzerland to Malaysia
Ambassador Michael Winzap was born in Falera, canton of Grison, Switzerland in 1957 and graduated in Political Science from Concordia University, Montreal in Canada.
He started his diplomatic career in 1992 serving at the Embassy of Switzerland in Ankara, Turkey. Since then, Ambassador Winzap has served in various posts in several countries that include the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
During his career, Ambassador Winzap has also held various positions in the Swiss capital of Berne including Deputy Head of Human Security Division and in 2010, he was appointed Ambassador and Special Representative for Sudan, South Sudan and the Horn of Africa.
Prior to his appointment as Ambassador of Switzerland to Malaysia, Mr Winzap was the Ambassador of Switzerland to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Republic of Iraq.
Curriculum Vitae
| Born in Falera / Grisons, Switzerland in the year 1957 | |
| September 2015 – to date | Ambassador of Switzerland to Malaysia |
| July 2012 – August 2015 | Ambassador of Switzerland to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Republic of Iraq with residence in Amman, Jordan |
| 2010 – June 2012 | Ambassador and Special Representative for Sudan, South Sudan and the Horn of Africa at the FDFA, Berne |
| 2008 - 2010 | Minister and Deputy head of Political Affairs Division IV, Human Security, in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs |
| 2006 -2008 | Head of the Liaison Office of Switzerland in Baghdad, Iraq |
| 2003 - 2006 | Head of Section for Humanitarian Policy and Migration at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Political Division IV, Human Security |
| 2000 - 2002 | Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Swiss Embassy in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| 1997 - 2000 | Federal Department of Justice and Police as Head of Section in the Federal Office for Refugees |
| 1994 – 1997 | First Secretary, Embassy of Switzerland in Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
| 1992 - 1993 | 3rd Secretary, Embassy of Switzerland in Ankara, Turkey |
Wan Saiful Wan Jan is the founding and former chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (www.ideas.org.my), and former Visiting Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Singapore.
Wan Saiful has remained actively involved in community activities. In 2014 he helped set up IDEAS Academy, which is a charity secondary-level learning centre for refugees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prior to that, in 2012 he set up another charity project, the IDEAS Autism Centre to provide education, care and therapy for autistic children from urban poor households in Kuala Lumpur.
In 2018, Wan Saiful resigned from IDEAS to join politics, where he contested in the 14th General Election as a candidate for the Parti Pribumi Bersatu (PPBM) in the Pendang Parliamentary seat. Currently he is the chairman for the Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN), Malaysian government entity for students’ loans.
2.45pm - Arrival of guests
3.00pm - Welcoming remarks by the moderator, Mr. Wan Saiful Wan Jan, founder and former CEO of IDEAS & Chairman of PTPTN
3.10pm - Lecture by H.E. Michael Winzap, Ambassador of Switzerland to Malaysia
4.10pm - Q & A
5.00pm - End of session followed by refreshments
Contact person:
Mr. Aaron Denison (aaron.denison@um.edu.my)
Ms. Marsha Prema Priya (marsha.pp@um.edu.my)
Tel: 03-2246 3440 / 014-367 7312
Last Update: 15/12/2021