MFA Press Statement: Appointment of Singapore’s Ambassador to the Republic of Finland

The Government has appointed Mrs Jayalekshmi Mohideen as Singapore's next Ambassador to the Republic of Finland. She will be resident in Singapore.

Mrs Mohideen is currently Chairperson/Managing Director of Investment Business-Link (S) Pte Ltd and Managing Director of Galerie Belvedere (S) Pte Ltd. Mrs Mohideen began her career in the Singapore Administrative Service in May 1967 with postings to the Ministry of Defence and the Public Service Commission. She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1976. Mrs Mohideen was appointed as Singapore's Ambassador to Belgium (with concurrent accreditation to the European Communities, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and The Holy See) from November 1989 to December 1992. She was the Deputy Secretary (Management), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from December 1992 until she retired from the Administrative Service in January 1995. From April 2000 to December 2006, she was Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
23 MAY 2007

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

Mrs Jayalekshmi Mohideen is currently the Chairperson/Managing Director of Investment Business-Link (S) Pte Ltd, and Managing Director of Galerie Belvedere (S) Pte Ltd.

Mrs Mohideen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Honours (Class II Upper) degree from the then University of Singapore in 1967. She was a Visiting Fellow in Public Administration at Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford, for the Trinity Term in 1978 under a Colombo Plan Fellowship.

Mrs Mohideen began her career in the Singapore Administrative Service in May 1967 with postings to the Ministry of Defence and the Public Service Commission. She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1976 where she helped to restructure and modernise the Ministry and its overseas operations. She was posted to the Singapore Embassy in Brussels as Minister Counsellor in October 1987. She became Charge d'Affaires in November 1988. On 23 November 1989, Mrs Mohideen was appointed Ambassador to Belgium (with concurrent accreditation to the European Communities, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and The Holy See). On her return to Singapore in December 1992, Mrs Mohideen was appointed Deputy Secretary (Management) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1994, she was seconded to the Economic Development Board for two years as Senior Consultant and provided consulting advice on behalf of the EDB and Singapore Government to other Governments, UNDP and the World Bank. She retired from the Administrative Service on 1 January 1995. She was appointed as Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to the Czech Republic from April 2000 to December 2006.

She served on the Board of Trustees of SINDA (1997-2005) and was Honorary Treasurer (1996-2000) and Vice-Chairman (2000-2002) of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Currently the President of MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore), she is also a Patron in the Moulmein Constituency (Tanjong Pagar GRC), and Deputy Chairman of the Public Arts Appraisal Committee of the Singapore National Heritage Board.

Mrs Mohideen was awarded the Wolfert van Borselen Medal by the City of Rotterdam in 1992. In 1993, she was knighted "Commandeur" of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands for promoting bilateral economic relations between The Netherlands and Singapore. She was awarded the Public Service Medal by the Singapore Government in November 2001.

She is married to Justice (Rtd) Mohideen M P Haja Rubin, Singapore High Commissioner to South Africa, and they have two children, Rasina and Firdaus.

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