For the first Gen A Roundtable of the 2025 Gen A – Young Leadership Program, we are honored to welcome Dr. Philippe Lionnet, who will share his insights on the impact of sustainable finance on global economic policy. Join us for a discussion exploring the intersection of finance, sustainability, trade, and diplomacy.

Dr. Philippe Lionnet is Swiss Envoy for Sustainable Finance and Co-Head of Policy Issues & International Relations unit at the State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF), Federal Department of Finance.

Following roles in the private sector and academia, Philippe joined federal public service at the Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) where he worked on institutional issues in Swiss-EU relations and the linking of Swiss and EU emissions trading systems. Several positions at the Directorate for Foreign Economic Affairs, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) followed, representing Switzerland in multilateral (e.g., WTO, TISA, OECD, EFTA, UNCTAD, Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability ACCTS) and bilateral (e.g., FTAs, MRAs, economic and trade arrangements after ‘Brexit’) negotiations and fora.

Furthermore, he was responsible for the Federal Council’s annual reports on foreign economic policy to both chambers of parliament as well as member of the Foreign Economic Policy Strategy drafting group, particularly on cross-border data flows. Before transferring to SIF in 2023, he oversaw bilateral economic relations with the US, Canada and Mexico (USMCA).

Philippe holds a PhD (Dr. phil.) in Economic History from the University of Bern as well as master’s degrees from the Universities of Zurich (LLM) and Basel (MA). He is the author of Finding a Path for China’s Rise. The Socialist State and the World Economy, 1970-1978 (2023) and lives in Zurich.

Preparation Material

• How to Become a Global Leader in Green Digital Finance, in Finance.Swiss. October 21, 2024.
• Handelspolitik ist Geopolitik: Ein Spannungsfeld, in Die Volkswirtschaft. May 25, 2023. In German or French.
• Leading Worldwide, Rooted in Switzerland: Policy for a Future-Proof Swiss Financial Centre, State Secretariat for International Finance SIF, November 18, 2021 (currently being reviewed).
• Der digitale Handel fordert die Regulierung der internationalen Wirtschaft heraus, in Die Volkswirtschaft. February 18, 2020. In German or French.

Further Reading 

• Swiss-UK Agreement Sends Strong Signal for Open Financial Markets, in Fintech News. October 7, 2024.
• Erhöhung der volkswirtschaftlichen Resilienz der Schweiz, in Stratos. June 29, 2023.
• Aussenwirtschaftspolitik in Krisenzeiten, in Die Volkswirtschaft, January 11, 2023.
• Switzerland’s Foreign Economic Policy Strategy, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. November 24, 2021.

Academic Contributions

• Finding a Path for China's Rise: The Social State and the World Economy, 1970-1978, Columbia University Press 2023.
• Anpassungen der Wirtschaftspolitik in der Volksrepublik China: die Scharnierjahre 1974/1975, Metropol Verlag 2020.
• BREXIT: A Case in Point for a Single Market Treaty? A Perspective From Within the Process of European Economic Integration, Schulthess Verlag 2019.