Dr Kanwaljit Soin is a well-respected orthopaedic and hand surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. She is also a former and Singapore’s first female Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP), from 1992-1996. She is an outspoken campaigner dedicated to improving women’s lives.

Dr Soin, who was inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014, is actively involved in welfare and advocacy organisations. She became a founding member of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) in 1985, and was AWARE’s president between 1991-1993. Her other credentials include being founding chair of the Singapore chapter of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), founding president of Women’s Initiative for Ageing Successfully, president of the Singapore chapter of the International Women’s Forum and global ambassador of HelpAge International. She continues to serve in medical professional associations.

Dr Soin has received accolades such as the Singapore Medical Association Merit Award, Singapore’s Woman of the Year, the International Women’s Forum’s Women Who Make a Difference Award and a UNIFEM Lifetime Achievement Award.