Honourable (Hon.) Mrs Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah holds a first-class degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Brighton, United Kingdom.

She started her career in the UK as a Regulatory Advisor at the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in 2005 and then joined the BG Group Plc in 2008. Upon her return to Mauritius, she worked in several global institutions as a consultant and Regulatory Manager.

She eventually joined the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life in 2017 as the Assistant Permanent Secretary. In November 2019, Mrs Kalpana Devi was appointed as the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare.

In this role, she has spearheaded the commitment of the Government of Mauritius in fighting all forms of violence including Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 5.

The Children’s Act 2020, the Child Sex Offender Register Act 2020 and the Children’s Court Act 2020, also became operational in 2022 which marks another major milestone in the development and protection of the rights of children under her role as the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare. She indicated that this initiative is in line with many international conventions to which Mauritius is a signatory and is guided in the best interests of children.

As the Minister of Gender Equality & Family Welfare of Mauritius, the Hon. Mrs Koonjoo-Shah participated in High-Level Summits such as the Commonwealth Ministers for Women’s Affairs and Gender and Development on COVID-19 in 2020, the 65^th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Indo-Pacific Business Summit “Women’s Economic Empowerment: Inclusive Prosperity” in 2021.