Ambassador Michel Filhol

Ambassador Michel Filhol was appointed ASEF Executive Director at the 26th ASEF Board of Governors meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania in May 2011. As ASEF Executive Director, Ambassador Filhol is also Patron of ASEMUS.

Ambassador Filhol began his career with the French Ministry of Economics and Finance in 1977. He was Trade Attaché, then Trade Counsellor, at the French Embassy in Rome (1979-1982) prior to joining the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982. Between 1985 and 1994, he was posted to several French diplomatic missions, and appointed Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in Prague, Tripoli and the Hague. Between 1994 and 1999, he was the Head of the Economics and Finance Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then Deputy First Assistant Secretary. In 1999, he was appointed French Ambassador to Singapore (1999-2003). He then served for three years in the Ministry of Interior before he worked as Head of the Asia/Oceania Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, between 2006 and 2008. In 2008, he was appointed Ambassador of France to Australia (2008 – 2011).

Ambassador Filhol has a B.A. degree in Economics and a Diploma in Political Studies. He also did his post-graduate studies in Public Law and graduated from ENA (Public Administration Institute) in 1977 with an André Malraux promotion.

Ambassador Filhol received several distinctions, including the Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour, the Knight in the the National Order of Merite and the Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Ambassador Filhol is married and has three children.