Secretariat Staff

Mr. Sajid Mian Mallam Hassam is a Principal Programme Officer at the IORA Secretariat and joined IORA in March 2006. He is tasked with the responsibility of supervising staff and junior employees. He provides assistance to professional staff in correspondence relating to Council meetings (COM, CSO, WGTI, BF, AG, WGHM) and updates the status of IORA projects.

He completed a Training Course for IORA Diplomats which was conducted by the Indian Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs from 4 to 14 September, 2013, in New Delhi, India.

Before joining IORA, Sajid Mian Mallam Hassam earlier worked in the private sector as a Data Analyst in the Data Processing and Analysis Division of the Market and Economic Studies Department from 1994 to 2004. He has been involved in various quantitative surveys and has acquired extensive experience, inter-alia, in areas such as customer satisfaction surveys, general consumption, brand evaluation surveys, etc.

Ms. Samima Saumtally joined the IORA Secretariat in February 2007 and holds a Diploma in Communication and Business English from Cambridge University in United Kingdom and has completed courses in International Business at the University of Mauritius and Hospitality Management at Ecole Hotelier in Mauritius.  She has 10 years of experience as a Secretary and Senior Administrative Assistant including leading private firms in London where she developed useful communication and organizational skills.

Currently Ms. Saumtally is the Confidential Secretary to the Secretary General.  She also provides broader administrative support to the IORA Secretariat in a key coordination role which includes scheduling meetings, monitoring incoming emails, responsibility for general correspondence, maintaining databases and contacts, managing  hard copy and electronic filing systems, and supporting IORA events overseas.  

Dr. Shamimtaz Sadally has a PhD in Marine Molecular Biology and Ecology and a BSc (Hons) degree in Biology from the University of Mauritius. She has presented her PhD work at several national and international conferences and has publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

She has been recognised for her scientific contribution at several occasions. She was nominated among the top five Mauritian Scientists at the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) Best Mauritian Scientist Award 2016 and won the Second Best Research for MRC Sponsored Post Graduates in 2014.

Dr. Sadally has been appointed as the Coordinator to lead the Blue Economy Team at IORA since January 2015. As part of her job, she has been analysing the need and capacities of IORA Member States in terms of the Blue Economy, based on which she formulates projects and draft project proposals to be implemented in Member States. She is also involved in the IORA Sustainable Development Programmes for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), which aims at optimising benefits of all IORA Member States and enable LDCs to host events on specific topics based on their priorities. Dr Sadally is motivated to contribute to the sustainable development of the Blue Economy, as well as to provide expert assistance and support to IORA Member States.

Ms Kritika N Nuckchady is a Programme officer in the Secretariat’s Directorate responsible for the priority areas of Tourism and Cultural Exchanges (TCE) and Academic, Science and Technology (AST).

She provides support to IORA Member States,  the Secretary General and the Seconded Director from South Africa (Zelda Vrolick) in initiating/carrying out projects in the afore-mentioned areas of work and in the management of relations with International Partners and relevant International Organisations. Inter alia, she conducts research, coordinates IORA events and projects, prepares substantive documentation, and liaises with Member States and International Partners.  

Ms Nuckchady, who joined the Indian Ocean Rim Association in 2016, holds a Masters in Global Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Kent.

Ms. Teelotma Ghoorah has over fifteen years of experience working in the field of women’s empowerment, youth development, civic engagement and policy making.

She has been involved in many national and regional projects/programmes and her key areas of expertise include Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting and Project/Programme Management.

She joined IORA as Programme Officer in the Secretariat’s Directorate responsible for the priority areas of Maritime Safety and Security (MSS) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in January 2023, after a six month’s internship at the Secretariat.

She provides support to IORA Member States, the Secretary-General and the Seconded Director from India in initiating/carrying out projects in the afore-mentioned areas of work and in the management of relations with International Partners and relevant international organizations. She also conducts research, coordinates IORA events/ projects, prepares substantive documentation and liaises with Member States and Dialogue Partners.

Ms Ghoorah holds a degree in Management and a Masters in Social Development and is currently a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading Project Management organization.

Mr. Seewoogolam Seewoosagur is the IORA Secretariat's official driver and is responsible for taking care of the official vehicle, maintaining and servicing them as required. He assists in dispatching correspondence and other office work, whenever required.

Mr.  Intiaz Khodabocus assists office staff with filing, photocopies, binding, sending faxes, and the dispatching of correspondence. He performs the duties of driver or receptionist whenever required.

Mr Raj Harel joined the IORA Secretariat in February 2019. He is responsible for the cleanliness of the office premises and such other responsibilities as entrusted to him from time to time. He is also a caretaker of the office premises.

Ms. Hilla Lakhpatwala is a Programme Officer in the Secretariat’s Directorate of Public Diplomacy and Communications.

With nine years of experience in communication, she works to improve and strengthen IORA's visibility in the region. Her roles include media/press support, social media management, outreach program coordination, e-newsletter creation, website maintenance, and local/international events communication planning.

She also provides support to IORA Member States, the Secretary General and Directors in initiating/carrying out projects and prepare substantive documentation and liaises with Member States and International Partners.  

Ms. Lakhpatwala, who joined the Indian Ocean Rim Association in March 2023, holds a Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has worked as a journalist for more than 5 years, reporting on national and international events. She has been an adviser on information matters in the public sector. 

Ms Selvana Mootien is a Programme officer (Secretariat Coordination) in the Secretariat’s Directorate responsible for Institutional Arrangement and Broadening Engagement (IABE) and Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE). She holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honors from the University of Mauritius and a certificate degree of Leadership in Public Management from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (USA).

She provides support to IORA Member States, the Secretary General and the Seconded Director in coordinating and carrying out the Committee of Senior Official (CSO), Council of Ministers Meeting (COM) and WEE Working Group meetings. She further contributes to the management of relations with International Partners and coordinates IORA events and projects.

Ms Selvana Mootien was selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2022(USA) and the Pan-African Youth Leadership Program in 2014 (USA) under the aegis of the US Department of State. She further represented Mauritius at the Youth French Parliament in Albania in 2022 under the aegis of the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) following her selection by the Mauritian National Assembly and was selected to attend the Confucius Institute exchange program in China in 2018.

Before joining IORA, Ms Selvana worked as Project Coordinator in the private sector and Advocacy/Program officer in a non-governmental organization. She is experienced in Project writing, Grant writing, Legal research, Diplomacy and Coordination of events and programs.

Ms Laura Jaymangal is a Programme Officer in the Secretariat’s Directorate for Trade and Investment, which is also the directorate that is the focal point for Climate Change in the Secretariat.

Her role primarily involves providing support to IORA Member States, the Secretary-General, and her Director. This support extends to the initiation and execution of projects in these key areas, as well as managing relationships with international partners and relevant organizations.

She is also responsible for the coordination of IORA events and projects, the preparation of substantive documentation, engaging in research activities, and maintaining open lines of communication with Member States and Dialogue Partners.

Ms Jaymangal joined the IORA team in March 2023, bringing with her five years of experience in advocacy and project management with Transparency International Mauritius where she also was an accredited trainer. Ms. Jaymangal holds a degree in Political Science, a diploma in Public Relations, and a professional certificate in Global Diplomacy. Furthermore, she serves as an EU Youth Ambassador in Mauritius, focusing on matters related to governance and climate change.