Monika Kapil Mohta (Hindi: मोनिका कपिल मोहता, born 19 January 1962) is a

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

of the

Indian Foreign Service The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is the diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vinay Mohan Kwatra is the 34th and the ...

, who served as the Ambassador of India to Switzerland from August 2020 to 31 January 2022. She holds the rank of Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and was previously the Ambassador of India to Sweden and Latvia (2016 - 2020) and the Ambassador of India to Poland and Lithuania (2011 - 2016).

Early life and education

Mohta was born in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

to Jai Singh Kapil and Ved Kapil. After completing her schooling from

The Air Force School The Air Force School (TAFS), formerly known as Air Force Central School (AFCS), was set up primarily to provide education to the children of Indian Air Force personnel. It was founded in 1955 by the Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, the Chief ...

, she graduated from St. Stephen's College,

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

with a bachelor's and masters's degrees. She joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1985.

Career

Mohta served as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary (South) in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, and looked after India's relations with a large part of the Asia-Pacific region. She was charged with all political and bilateral matters relating to Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and all Pacific Island countries. She also headed the division in the Foreign Ministry charged with looking after work relating to the development of the new Nalanda University. She was Deputy Dean of the Indian Foreign Service Institute. She was Ambassador of India to Poland and Lithuania from July 2011 to January 2015 and the Ambassador of India to Sweden and Latvia from November 2016 to July 2020. She served as the Director of The Nehru Centre and Minister (Culture) at the High Commission of India to the United Kingdom from 2006 to 2011, looking after cultural and community affairs for India in the UK. Prior to that she was the Deputy Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) from 2005 to 2006. At the Ministry of External Affairs, she has served as Director and Joint Secretary (Pakistan), Director (Gulf), Director (External Publicity), Deputy Spokesperson, Director (United Nations Political), Officer on Special Duty (Press Relations), Under Secretary (Foreign Service Institute) and Under Secretary (Southern Africa). She has also served at Indian Embassies in France, Nepal and Thailand, and in the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO in Paris.

Personal life

She is married to Dr. Madhup Mohta, a medical doctor, author and career diplomat. They have a son, Siddhaant, and a daughter, Sanskriti.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapil Mohta, Monika 1962 births Living people Ambassadors of India to Poland Ambassadors of India to Lithuania Ambassadors of India to Sweden Ambassadors of India to Latvia Indian diplomats Indian women ambassadors