Tim Guldimann

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His Excellency
Tim Guldimann
PhD
Member of the National Council (Switzerland)
In office
30 November 2015 – 14 March 2018
Succeeded byFabian Molina
ConstituencyCanton of Zürich
Ambassador of Switzerland to Germany
In office
2010–2015
Personal details
Born
Urs Christian Timotheus Guldimann

(1950-09-19) 19 September 1950 (age 73)
Zürich, Switzerland
Citizenship
  • Switzerland
  • Germany (naturalized)
Political partySocial Democratic Party
Other political
affiliations		Social Democratic Party of Germany (since 2021)
SpouseChristiane Hoffmann
Children2
ResidenceBerlin, Germany
Alma materUniversity of Zurich (PhD)
OccupationDiplomat, politician
WebsiteOfficial website
Parliament website

Urs Christian Timotheus Guldimann abbreviated as Tim Guldimann (German pronunciation: [tɪm ˈɡʊldɪman]; born 19 September 1950) is a Swiss political scientist and former diplomat and politician who previously served on the National Council (Switzerland) for the Social Democratic Party from 2015 to 2018. He was the first Swiss abroad ever elected to federal office.[1][2]

Previously, Guldimann held the post of Ambassador of Switzerland to Germany between 2010 and 2015 and in Iran from 1997 to 2004, where he served as liaison between the country and the United States and important mediator for Iran-United States relations.[3] In 2021, Guldimann naturalized as German citizen since his wife and children are citizens. He holds dual citizenship of Switzerland and Germany.[4][5]

Early life and education[edit]

Guldimann was born 19 September 1950 in Zürich, Switzerland, the eldest of five sons, to Werner Guldimann and May (née Steuer).[6] His father was a pilot, aviation expert and most notably director for the Federal Office of Civil Aviation.[7] His mother was municipal councilor of Uitikon for the Christian Democratic People's Party.[8][9] He had four younger brothers including: Tobias Guldimann, who was formerly Chief Risk Officer at Credit Suisse.[10][11] Till M. Guldimann was a former executive of SunGard.

He attended Gymnasium Enge where he completed his Matura and then studied Economics at the University of Zürich graduating with a PhD.[12]

Diplomatic career[edit]

Guldimann began working for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1982, retiring in 1991.[13] From 1996 to 1999,[13] worked as negotiator for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Croatia and Chechnya.[14]

Guldimann re-entered the Swiss foreign service as Swiss ambassador to Iran from 1997 to 2004.[13] During his term, in May 2003, he relayed a document to the U.S. that he said was written by Sadegh Kharazi, the nephew of Iran's then-foreign minister Kamal Kharazi (Switzerland represents the United States in Tehran). The document, known as the Schweizer Memorandum (de) in German, laid out a proposal to begin discussions over a large range of issues in Iran–United States relations. Guldimann was distrusted by a number of figures in the administration of George W. Bush, including Richard Armitage, who suspected Guldimann may have authored large amounts of the document on his own.[15]

Guldimann was appointed OSCE Envoy to Ukraine in 2014.[16] He was criticized by some American and European diplomats for his perceived pro-Russian bias.[17]

Political career[edit]

Guldimann served for two-and-a-half years as a member of the National Council, representing Zürich for the Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Switzerland before resigning in March 2018.[18] He was the first Swiss legislator elected while living abroad, in Berlin, where he had previously served as Swiss ambassador to Germany.[14] He remained as an expatriate in Berlin while serving as a National Councillor. After his resignation, his seat was succeeded by Fabian Molina.[18]

Personal life[edit]

Guldimann has been married to German Christiane Hoffmann (born 1967). They have two daughters and reside in Berlin, Germany. His family was also the leading force for resigning from public office in 2018.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ratsmitglied ansehen". www.parlament.ch. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  2. ^ SRF, <Gaby Ochsenbein> und (2018-02-19). "Tim Guldimann, der erste Auslandschweizer-Nationalrat, nimmt den Hut". SWI swissinfo.ch (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  3. ^ "Tim Guldimann im Interview – «Die Frustration über die Schweiz ist sehr gross»". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  4. ^ Neff, Benedict (2021-11-09). "Tim Guldimann ist deutscher Staatsbürger geworden". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  5. ^ https://www.blick.ch/meinung/die-ampel-steht-was-uns-die-neue-deutsche-regierung-bringt-id17021565.html
  6. ^ "Guldimann, Werner". hls-dhs-dss.ch (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  7. ^ https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=NZN19660307-01.2.12.5.1&srpos=3&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN-Guldimann+Z%c3%bcrich-------0-----
  8. ^ May Guldimann, Gemeinderätin-CVP https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=NZN19821110-01.2.9.6&srpos=2&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN-May+Guldimann-------0-----
  9. ^ "Tim Guldimann - Munzinger Biographie". www.munzinger.de. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  10. ^ "Tobias Guldimann, Credit Suisse Group AG: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  11. ^ "Joachim Oechslin to succeed Tobias Guldimann as Chief Risk Officer on January 1, 2014". Credit Suisse. 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  12. ^ "Lebenslauf". Tim Guldimann (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  13. ^ a b c "Ambassador Tim Guldimann". osce.org. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  14. ^ a b Gigon, Ariane (26 October 2015). "The man hoping to be the voice of the Swiss abroad". Swissinfo. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  15. ^ Maloney, Suzanne (Summer 2008). "U.S. Policy Toward Iran: Missed Opportunities and Paths Forward" (PDF). The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. 32 (2): 30. Retrieved 29 October 2020. Armitage stated that "we came to have some questions about where the Iranian message ended and the Swiss message may begin."
  16. ^ "OSCE Chair appoints Personal Envoy on Ukraine and announces OSCE team to identify support measures". OSCE. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  17. ^ Ahmari, Sohrab (15 May 2014). "An Unfair Broker for Ukraine". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Swiss expat parliamentarian resigns". Swissinfo. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Tim Guldimann tritt als Nationalrat zurück - Die Familie zuerst". Schweizer Illustrierte (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
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