Working for Peace

Therese Adam: 'That's when I realised you can't have development without peace.' (Picture: Daniel Winkler) - ETH alumna Therese Adam spent 28 years in the diplomatic service working for peace and development. Now she shares her knowledge as a lecturer. Therese Adam sees no real distinction between work and leisure: "In my life, those boundaries have always been fluid." The retired diplomat spent almost three decades heading up Swiss missions abroad in over 40 countries, including posts as Assistant Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) - part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) - as well as Swiss Ambassador to Mozambique. Her work included countless negotiations with international organisations and rival factions. She found respite from these challenging assignments by embracing the opportunities that work threw in her way. On business trips to Africa, Central Asia or Russia, for example, she discovered new musical styles at concerts and visited art exhibitions.