President Advocate Duma Boko has appointed Nthisana Motsete-Phillips as Botswana’s new Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other international organisations. The announcement was made on Monday by the Ministry of International Relations.
Motsete-Phillips, a veteran international civil servant, brings over 30 years of experience to the role, having served in numerous multilateral institutions including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). She also held positions at the Consortium of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
Her career in international diplomacy began in 1996 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where she worked for seven years. She later moved into the private sector in Botswana, taking on leadership roles including Managing Director of Allan Gray Botswana and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Botswana Insurance Fund Management.
In her most recent role as Deputy Director of the Corporate Services and Facilities Department at the IMF, Motsete-Phillips was responsible for overseeing operations across IMF headquarters in Washington DC and more than 110 overseas offices. She also contributed to key committees such as the IMF’s Artificial Intelligence Coordination Committee and the Steering Committee on Data Privacy.
At the WTO, she led the Finance and Corporate Services Division and served on various strategic committees, including the IT Security Steering Committee and the WTO Pension Plan. As Assistant Secretary General of the OACPS, she directed initiatives in finance, IT, human resources, and conference services.
In addition to her international achievements, Motsete-Phillips has played a key role in Botswana’s economic development through her work in the private sector. She has held senior positions in institutions such as Botswana Insurance Fund Management (BIFM), and has served on the boards of Mascom and the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA), now known as BITC. The Ministry highlighted that her wealth of experience will be instrumental in strengthening Botswana’s influence on the multilateral stage and enhancing the country’s profile in international affairs.Motsete-Phillips succeeds Dr. Athaliah Molokomme, whose term as Botswana’s Ambassador in Geneva has recently concluded.
