Former Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the U.S. Joins APCO’s IAC

Washington (October 12, 2016) – Claudia Fritsche, one of the longest serving female diplomats in Washington, and former Resident Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the United States, joined APCO’s International Advisory Council (IAC) announced Margery Kraus, Founder and Executive Chairman of APCO Worldwide.

“Claudia is a most accomplished diplomat and has spent nearly 40 years serving her country and shaping international policy,” said Kraus. “Her experience as Ambassador to both the U.S. and the United Nations gives her an invaluable perspective and serves as a great resource to our clients in an increasingly complex global environment.  We have often worked together in her official capacity and we are honored that she has decided to work with us in this next phase of her career.”

Fritsche served as the first Resident Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the U.S. from 2002 to 2016, where she represented the principality’s foreign policy interests. Prior to becoming Ambassador to the U.S., Fritsche served as the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the United Nations from 1990 to 2002.

During her time at the U.N., Ambassador Fritsche served as Vice President and member of the General Committee of the U.N. General Assembly during its 48^th Session. She was also President of the International Association of Permanent Representatives to the U.N. from 1999 to 2002.

“I’m very excited to be joining APCO’s International Advisory Council,” Fritsche said. “The firm has a strong reputation as a global public affairs leader, and I look forward to using my experience and knowledge to help APCO’s clients.”

Prior to assuming her position as Ambassador to the U.N., Fritsche served as First Secretary of the Liechtenstein Embassy in Berne/Switzerland from 1987 to 1990, while simultaneously serving in the same capacity for the Liechtenstein Embassy in Vienna in 1989.

Ambassador Fritsche has spent her entire career as a public servant, having initially joined Liechtenstein’s Office for Foreign Affairs in 1978.

Ambassador Fritsche joins a distinguished group of global political leaders and experts on APCO’s IAC including:

• Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, former member of the European and Netherlands Parliaments; former EU ambassador to Japan
• Edit Herczog, former member of the European Parliament from Hungary
• Aleksander Kwasniewski, former president of Poland
• Lalit Mansingh, former foreign secretary of India; former Indian ambassador to the United States
• Itamar Rabinovich, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S.; former president of Tel Aviv University
• Sir Graham Watson, former member of the European Parliament (MEP)