After completing her master’s at the University of Nottingham, Chevening alumna Anne Lugon-Moulin went on to have an extraordinary career that led her to become the Swiss Ambassador to Serbia.
When Chevening alumna Anne Lugon-Moulin arrived at the University of Nottingham in 1996, she knew it was going to be a transformative year.
‘Coming from Switzerland, where the university life is not organised around campuses, I discovered the vibrant student life on the British campuses… People from all the five continents were there.’
‘We had no mobile telephone at that time, and there was only one public phone located in the staircase in the hall,’ Anne remembers. ‘Phoning to parents was a luxury.’
But despite its challenges, studying in the UK with Chevening proved to be a life changing experience.
‘It was my longest exposure of living abroad and of being surrounded by international life. I enjoyed every single moment.’
‘The Chevening scholarship programme… upon completion of a very competitive application process, allowed me to contemplate studying in the UK,’ she says. ‘The United Kingdom was and still is a leading country in research and education, and this is why I had a strong will to study there.’
Anne was particularly drawn to the University of Nottingham for its unique master’s offering in economic development and policy analysis.
‘It combined strong econometrical classes and policy courses,’ she explains.
But it was more than just a master’s degree that Anne graduated with. Studying in the UK shaped her world view, laying the foundations for an inspiring career in international diplomacy.
It has given me the desire to work in the international field and abroad.
‘This is why, upon completion of my master’s degree, I quickly joined an international NGO, Transparency International, in Switzerland. And later on, the UN World Food Programme in Rwanda.’
I see a very strong coherence between my academic background and my professional life: working for the public good, enhancing fruitful and peaceful relationships between countries, [and] contributing to economic growth and prosperity.
Most recently, as Ambassador, Anne has helped negotiate migration agreements, presided over multilateral trade talks, and accompanied Swiss Presidents, Ministers, and Parliamentarians on official visits across Africa.
One of her proudest achievements was the ‘opening of a direct flight from Geneva to Addis Abeba… two important cities for multilateral diplomacy, in a context of scarce direct lines between Switzerland and the African continent’.
Another career highlight was during the pandemic, when Anne helped to organise a repatriation flight for Swiss citizens stranded abroad.
‘The embassy team was managing the check-in procedure, there was no air-conditioning in the empty airport, because it had remained closed for days…’ she says. ‘This is certainly a very striking memory.’
But perhaps her proudest moment was helping to organise war crime trial sessions in Liberia, ensuring that victims could testify remotely to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court.
A lot’s changed since Anne completed her Chevening year, but as her inspiring career illustrates, her commitment to making a positive global impact has never wavered.
One scholarship; a lifetime of impact.
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