Maya Tissafi is the Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to India and Bhutan. She assumed her position in Delhi in September 2024.

Maya Tissafi has more than 30 years of experience working in diplomacy, peacebuilding and development across different regions. She joined the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in 2002 and has since held various functions, serving with the title of Ambassador since 2011.

From 2019 to 2024, she served as Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East and North Africa Division at the State Secretariat, holding the title of Ambassador.

In July 2015, she was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to the United Arab Emirates and in November 2017, she additionally assumed the role of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Bahrain as well as Permanent Representative to IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), based in Abu Dhabi.

In 2011, she became Head of Corporate Domain South Cooperation (Africa, Asia, MENA, South America) and Director General In-Charge of SDC with the title of Ambassador.

Before that she led the Eastern and Southern Africa Division (2008 – 2011), the Social Development Division (2006 – 2008) and the Governance Division, first as Deputy Head and Gender Advisor and later as Head (2002 – 2005).

Previously, she worked for SolidarMed on behalf of the FDFA as a technical advisor for the implementation of health sector reform in Tanzania and as Director of the Coordination Office in Ifakara (2000–2002). From 1993 to 2000, she was coordinator for the peace organization CFD, a role that took her to the former Yugoslavia, Israel/Palestine and North Africa.

Maya Tissafi, a Swiss National, is a Social Scientist with a Master of Public Health (Universities of Zurich, Basel, Bern) and a diploma in Mediation. She is married and has three adult children.