Former Heads of Department

Simonetta Sommaruga

Simonetta Sommaruga was born on 14 May 1960 and grew up with two brothers and one sister in Sins in the canton of Aargau. Her father was a plant manager and her mother was a homemaker who tended a large vegetable garden. After obtaining her academic baccalaureate, she attended the Lucerne Academy of Music, where she studied to become a concert pianist. Simonetta Sommaruga spent time in California and Rome before continuing her career as a concert pianist and teacher at the Fribourg Academy of Music.

Ms Sommaruga was managing director of the Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation from 1993 to 1999 and president of the foundation from 2000 to 2010. She served as a member of the communal council in Köniz between 1997 and 2005 with responsibility for the fire and civil protection services, and was a member of the National Council between 1999 and 2003.

Between 2003 and 2010, she represented the canton of Bern in the Council of States. She sat on the Economic Affairs and Taxation Committee and served as its chair between 2007 and 2009; she was also on the Social Security and Health Committee, and served as vice chair of the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy Committee. She was also vice president of the Swiss Delegation to the EFTA Parliamentary Committee and for relations with the European Parliament.

On 22 September 2010, Simonetta Sommaruga was elected to the Federal Council. She was head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police FDJP from 2010 to the end of 2018. During this time, she effected several far-reaching reforms to modernise Swiss family law.

Simonetta Sommaruga took over as head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications DETEC on 1 January 2019. Already by autumn of that year, she brought the foundations for the Federal Act on a Secure Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Sources before the Federal Council with a view to strengthening the domestic energy supply. She also secured the agreement of environmental groups, energy providers and the cantons on 15 specific projects at the Hydropower Round Table. Furthermore, she presented a draft to speed up the procedures. These measures have been supplemented by short-term measures to prepare Switzerland for the coming winter.

In the transport sector, Ms Sommaruga has championed the modal shift policy, for example in 2019 with a package to move more freight transport to rail. She also presented the Rail 2050 vision for the future expansion of the Swiss rail network.

She served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2015 in 2020. She retired as a Federal Councillor at the end of 2022 after 12 years.

Simonetta Sommaruga is married to the writer Lukas Hartmann. In winter, she devotes her free moments to playing the piano and reading. In summer, she loves spending time in her garden and hiking in the mountains.

Chronological résumé

Personal details

• Born 14 May 1960 in a hospital in Zug as the third of four children.
• Place of origin: Lugano (Canton Ticino) and Eggiwil (Canton Bern)
  
• Mother: avid gardener and dedicated housewife. Father: plant manager
  
• Married to Lukas Hartmann

Education and training

• 1980: High school leaving certificate (Type B) from the Bethlehem Grammar School, Immensee (Canton Schwyz)
  
• 1980: Trained as a pianist at the Lucerne Academy of Music
  
• 1983-1984: Further education in California (Stanford) and in Rome
  
• 1988-1991: Studied English and Spanish literature at the University of Fribourg (did not graduate)

Career history

• 1985: Concert appearances and educational work at the Academy of Music and the cantonal teacher training college in Fribourg; Organist at St.Jean’s Church
  
• 1985: Worked in a home for battered women in Fribourg
  
• 1993: Manager of the Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation in Bern
  
• Since 2000: President of the Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation
  
• 2003: President of SWISSAID
  
• Since 2008: Board member of SWISSAID
  
• 2002: Co-President of the Women’s Music Forum in Bern
  
• Since 2008: President of EQUAM (Foundation for External Quality Assurance in Medicine)
  
• Since 2008: Board member of Energieallianz
  
• Since 2009: Member of the foundation Slow Food Schweiz
• Since 2009: Board member of the Bärenpark Bern
• Since 2010: Member of the Board of Directors of Concret AG

Following her appointment as Federal Councillor, Simonetta Sommaruga resigned from all offices.

Political career

• Since 1986: Member of the Socialist Party of Switzerland
  
• 1997-2005: Member of the communal council in Köniz with responsibility for the fire and civil protection services; Officer for Cultural Affairs
  
• 1999: National Councillor, member of the Committee for Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy
  
• Since 2003: Member of the Council of States; member of the Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxes, 2007-2009 president of the Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxes, vice-president of the Committee for Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy, member of the Committee for Social Security and Health, vice-president of the EFTA Delegation / European Parliament, Member of the Office of the Council of States
  
• 22 September 2010: Election as Federal Councillor
  
• 2010-2018: Head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police
  
• 3 December 2014: Election as president of the Swiss Confederation for 2015
• Since 2019: Head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications 
  
• 11 December 2019: Election as president of the Swiss Confederation for 2020
• 2 November 2022: Announcement of retirement at the end of 2022

Languages

• Spoken: German, French, Italian, English, Spanish
• Written: German, French, English, Spanish

2019-2022

Events Simonetta Sommaruga

Speeches Simonetta Sommaruga

Social media

Twitter channel of Simonetta Sommaruga

Instagram channel of Simonetta Sommaruga

Interviews Simonetta Sommaruga

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Doris Leuthard

Doris Leuthard was Head of the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) from 2010-2018. Before taking the helm of DETEC on 1 November 2010, Federal Councillor Leuthard was head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA) from August 2006 to October 2010. During this time, she was responsible for the labour market, vocational education and training, technology, innovation, agriculture, housing, national economic supply and trade policy. She represented Switzerland at international organisations including the WTO, OECD, FAO and the World Bank and chaired the EFTA Council.

From 1999 to 2006, Doris Leuthard was a member of the National Council representing canton Aargau. From 2004 to 2006, she was president of the Christian Democratic People's Party. During her time in the National Council, she was a member of the following committees: legal affairs, political institutions, judicial, economic affairs and taxation.

Born in 1963, Doris Leuthard studied law at the University of Zurich and completed language and study courses in Paris and Calgary. She was a partner in a law firm. She is married to Dr. Roland Hausin.