Christian Masset
Christian Masset is a French senior civil servant and diplomat who served as ambassador of France to Japan and Italy.
Biography
Christian Masset studied at the Sciences Po and at the École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales. He graduated among the top of his class at the École nationale d'administration, and opted for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Career
He has held various positions in the Central Administration and in the Diplomatic Network of London, Pretoria, Brussels , and Rome.From 1997 to 1999, he was a member of the government cabinet of Hubert Védrine, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, alongside Pierre Sellal, head of the cabinet.
In 2009, he was responsible for creating the Directorate General for Globalization, Development, and Partnerships, resulting from the consolidation of the Directorate of Economic and Financial Affairs, which he had led since 2007, and the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development, born from the 1999 merger of the Directorate General of Cultural, Scientific, and Technical Relations and the Ministry of Cooperation. As DGM, he chaired the board of directors of the French Agency for Education Abroad and that of the public interest group France Coopération Internationale. He is also part of the strategic advisory board of the French Institute.
In December 2011, he was appointed Ambassador of France to Japan, then in 2014, Secretary General of the Ministry.
In September 2017, Christian Masset was appointed Ambassador of France to Italy, succeeding Catherine Colonna.
Since 2016, he has held the lifetime dignity of Ambassador of France, and since 12 July 2023, he has been a counselor at the Court of Auditors.