Ambassador Jayalekshmi Mohideen
IHFS – Excellence Award For Being The First Indian Female Ambassador Of Singapore
Ambassador Jayalekshmi Mohideen was appointed resident Ambassador to Belgium in November 1989, with concurrent accreditations to the European Union, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and The Holy See (The Vatican). Ambassador Mohideen was bestowed the Wolfert van Borselen Medal by the Mayor of Rotterdam on behalf of the City of Rotterdam in November 1992. In November 1993, she was knighted “Commandeur of the Order of Orange-Nassau” by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands for promoting bilateral economic relations between The Netherlands and Singapore. Ambassador Mohideen is the first career female Ambassador, apart from being the first Indian female Ambassador of Singapore.
She graduated in 1967 from the University of Singapore (now NUS) and was a Visiting Fellow in Public Administration at the University of Oxford in 1978 under a Colombo Plan Fellowship awarded by the Public Service Commission.
She began her career in the Singapore Administrative Service in May 1967 with postings to the Ministry of Interior & Defence (MID) and the Public Service Commission. She had the privilege of working on assignments for Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee during her posting at MID. She was assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1976 where she helped to restructure and modernise the Ministry and its overseas missions, and to establish foundations for a professional Foreign Service. On her return to Singapore in December 1992 from Brussels, she was appointed Deputy Secretary (Management) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1994, she was seconded to the Economic Development Board (EDB) as Senior Consultant to provide consulting advice on behalf of EDB and the Singapore Government to other Governments, the World Bank and UNDP. She was appointed Non-Resident Ambassador to the Czech Republic (April 2000-December 2006). In August 2007, she was appointed Non-Resident Ambassador to Finland which she served for 14 years. In November 2017, Ambassador Mohideen was bestowed the decoration “Commander First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland” by President Sauli Niinisto of Finland.
Ambassador Mohideen has served on several public boards and organisations. She was on the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) (1997-2005) and was Vice-President, Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (2000-2002). She was President of MINDS (2003-2009) and served on the Advisory Board of the School of Design & Environment, National University of Singapore. She has served for several years as a Patron of the Pek Kio Community Centre (Management Committee).
She was awarded the Singapore Public Service Medal (PBM) in 2001, the Public Service Star (BBM) in 2009 and Public Service Star (BBM-Bar) in 2020.
Ambassador Mohideen is in the Halls of Fame of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations and the Singapore Tatler. She is married to Justice (Ret.) MPH Rubin and they have 2 children and a grand- daughter.