Introducing our FASC Patron:

HM Ambassador John Nichols

HM Ambassador John Nichols in Berne is the current incumbent in a long line of British Ambassadors who have accepted the pleasurable and far-from-onerous task of being FASC patron. It is by no means his first posting in Switzerland: he served as Deputy Head of Mission and Director of Trade Promotion at the Embassy in Berne in 1997-2000 and was General Consul in Geneva before that.

"I'm delighted to be back in Switzerland, and feel I'm very fortunate," he says. He speaks fluent German and French, as well as some Italian, and feels very much at home in all three language areas. And having had two postings in Budapest, latterly as HM Ambassador, he speaks Hungarian too, and also Portuguese as a result of a posting in Brasilia. His career also includes a spell in Bangladesh and various postings in London.

Our Patron's special message to FASC: "All the clubs have an important role to play in fostering mutual understanding between our two countries and the many different cultures they include. I look forward to getting to know the Federation better and working with it during my four years here." We look forward to seeing him at many of our events in future.