Dr. Thomas Oertle

Dr. Thomas Oertle was born on 12 March 1974 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and is a citizen of Teufen in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. He completed his Academic Maturity Certificate with distinction at the Liceo di Bellinzona in June 1994.

He went on to study at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), where he graduated with distinction in May 1999, earning a Master's degree in Natural Sciences (dipl. natw. ETH) from the Department of Biology. In 2002, he completed his doctoral studies in molecular biology and neuroscience at ETH Zurich and the NeuroScience Center Zurich, graduating with distinction and receiving a Doctorate in Natural Sciences (Dr. sc. nat. ETH).

Dr. Oertle began his diplomatic career in 2004 when he joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and was posted to Tel Aviv, Israel, as a diplomatic trainee. In 2005, he returned to Bern to serve as a staff member to the Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process in the former Political Affairs Division IV of the FDFA State Secretariat. The following year, he became Deputy Regional Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East in the former Political Affairs Division II of the State Secretariat.

In 2009, he was posted to Damascus as Deputy Head of Mission, with responsibility for both the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Iraq. Between August 2011 and March 2012, he served as Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Switzerland in Damascus. Upon returning to FDFA Headquarters in Bern in 2012, he assumed the role of Regional Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) within the former Political Affairs Division.

From 2013, Dr. Oertle worked as a diplomatic officer in the task force responsible for Switzerland's Presidency of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In 2014, he was appointed Head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Division at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Bern. Four years later, in 2018, he relocated to Nairobi, Kenya, where he served as Regional Head of International Cooperation for the Horn of Africa, overseeing Switzerland's cooperation programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

From May 2022 to July 2026, Dr. Oertle served as Head of Mission in Muscat, accredited to both the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Yemen. In August 2026, he took up his assignment as Ambassador-designate of Switzerland to the Republic of Ghana, the Togolese Republic, and the Republic of Benin.

Dr. Thomas Oertle is married to Mrs. Jeannine Traber, and together they have one son.