Henri Gétaz is Head of the new Directorate for European Affairs (DEA) (former FDFA/FDEA Integration Office) since August 2010. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Gétaz was Head of the Economic and Financial Division of the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington D.C.

By accepting this post, Mr. Gétaz, who holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Universities of St. Gallen and Lausanne, was  returning to his roots: between 2001 to 2006, he worked for the FDFA/FDEA Integration Office serving as deputy to Michael Ambühl, the former IO Head.

Mr. Gétaz joined the Federal Department of Economic Affairs in 1990. During his time at the Federal Office of Foreign Economic Affairs, which later merged with the Federal Office for Economic Development and Labour to become the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), he represented Switzerland in various bodies of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) and in free trade negotiations in the context of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In 1994, he was appointed Secretary of the Federal Office of Foreign Economic Affairs and as Chief of Staff to Franz Blankart, the director of that Office. From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Gétaz led SECO negotiations with GATS/WTO on international services.