The State Secretariat for International Financial Matters is managed by State Secretary Michael Ambühl (1951). Mr. Ambühl is a highly-regarded diplomat and negotiator. As State Secretary since 1 March 2010, Mr. Ambühl represents Switzerland's interests in international financial and tax matters, and participates in negotiations in these areas. From 2005, he was State Secretary and Head of the Directorate of Political Affairs in the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In summer 2009, he led the negotiations between Switzerland and the US concerning UBS.

Michael Ambühl was appointed ambassador in 1999, and acted as Head of the FDFA/FDEA Integration Office until 2005. From 2001 to 2004, he was Switzerland's lead negotiator in the second series of bilateral negotiations. Previously, he worked as a member of the negotiating team for the first series of bilateral negotiations in the Swiss Mission to the European Union in Brussels amongst other things, and held office as head of the economic division of our embassy in New Delhi. Mr. Ambühl studied management science and applied mathematics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He has a doctorate in technical sciences.

The State Secretary is responsible for the coordination and strategic management of international financial, monetary and tax matters, and reports to the Head of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF).