Management Board
The Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) Management Board is responsible for strategic management of the service and coordination of its different directorates. It manages central projects and ensures information is shared between offices and divisions.
Director
Christian Hofer
Christian Hofer has been director of the FOAG since 1 December 2019.
Christian Hofer has been director of the FOAG since 1 December 2019.
- 2017 to 2019: Head of the Office for Agriculture and Nature of the Canton of Bern
- 2009 to 2017: Assistant Director of the FOAG and Head of the Direct Payments and Rural Development Directorate
- 2003 to 2009: Sales Manager Switzerland at Swedish dairy and farming machinery company DeLaval in Sursee (Lucerne)
- 2000 to 2003: Managing Director of Profi-Lait and research associate at the Swiss Grassland Society (AGFF)
- 1999: Business consultant at INFORAMA Rütti in Zollikofen (Bern)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Integrated Management at Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH
- Degree in Agricultural Engineering (majoring in Plant Sciences) and Teaching Certificate in Agricultural Sciences at ETH Zurich
Markets and International Affairs Directorate
Jean-Marc Chappuis
Jean-Marc Chappuis has been assistant director of the FOAG since 1 August 2018 and deputy director since 16 March 2020. He is head of the Markets and International Affairs Directorate.
Jean-Marc Chappuis has been assistant director of the FOAG since 1 August 2018 and deputy director since 16 March 2020. He is head of the Markets and International Affairs Directorate.
- 2018 to 2022: Head of the Knowledge Systems, Technology and International Affairs Directorate at the FOAG
- Agricultural policy advisor to Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann
- Advisor for the Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) in the General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER)
- Doctorate in Agricultural Engineering (specialising in Agricultural Sciences) at ETH Zurich
Legal Affairs, Resources and Integral Security Directorate
Andrea Leute
Andrea Leute has been head of the Legal Affairs, Resources and Integral Security Directorate since 1 July 2008 and assistant director since 1 February 2014.
Andrea Leute has been head of the Legal Affairs, Resources and Integral Security Directorate since 1 July 2008 and assistant director since 1 February 2014.
- 2006 to 2008: Head of the HR Division at the FOAG
- 2005: Executive Master of Human Resources Management (NDS FH)
- Head of various human resources and financial services in the private sector
- Continuing education and training in corporate management, HR management, marketing and sales, methodology and psychology
- Business management training at HFW Bern
Direct Payments and Rural Development Directorate
Bernard Belk
Bernard Belk has been assistant director of the FOAG since 1 March 2018 and is head of the Direct Payments and Rural Development Directorate.
Bernard Belk has been assistant director of the FOAG since 1 March 2018 and is head of the Direct Payments and Rural Development Directorate.
- 2008 to 2018: Global Head of Food & Agriculture Business at SwissRe Corporate Solutions, Zurich
- Until 2008: Various global management roles in the agricultural sector at SGS SA in Geneva and Brazil
- Head of the FAO development programme in Cabo Verde
- Farmer and breeder in Switzerland and New Zealand
- MBA at IMD Lausanne, MAS in Real Estate at the University of Zurich
- Master of Science in Agricultural Economics at ETH Zurich
- Federal Vocational Diploma in Agriculture
Production Bases, Natural Resources and Research Directorate
Gabriele Schachermayr
Gabriele Schachermayr has been assistant director of the FOAG since 1 July 2018. She is head of the Production Bases, Natural Resources and Research Directorate.
Gabriele Schachermayr has been assistant director of the FOAG since 1 July 2018. She is head of the Production Bases, Natural Resources and Research Directorate.
- 2009 to 2018: Head of the Plant Health and Varieties Division at the FOAG
- 2003 to 2009: Programme manager of an international agricultural and biotechnology research programme at EPFL Lausanne
- Until 2003: Head of various research projects at the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station (ART)
- Postgraduate diploma in Management and Policy in Public Institutions at the University of Bern
- Doctorate in Plant Breeding at ETH Zurich
- Degree in Agricultural Sciences (majoring in Plant Production) at BOKU University in Vienna
Digitalisation and Data Management Directorate
Cédric Moullet
Cédric Moullet has been head of the Digitalisation and Data Management Directorate since 1 November 2022 and is assistant director of the FOAG.
Cédric Moullet has been head of the Digitalisation and Data Management Directorate since 1 November 2022 and is assistant director of the FOAG.
- 2021 to 2022: Head of Digitalisation and IT at the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC)
- 2018 to 2021: Assistant Director at the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT), including head of the project to create COVID certificates
- 2010 to 2017: Responsible for the federal geodata infrastructure geo.admin.ch at swisstopo
- Degree in Agricultural Engineering and Surveying at EPFL Lausanne
Index
Further information
The FOAG provides a reduced English-language version of its website that does not include all further information such as documents, legislation or links. These can be found on the pages in the three official languages (German, French and Italian).
Related topics
Organisation of the FOAG
The FOAG is divided into six directorates comprising 25 specialist divisions and around 300 employees. Agroscope, the federal government’s centre of expertise for agricultural research, is affiliated to the FOAG.