Mpule Kwelagobe | |
---|---|
Born | Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe 14 November 1979 Gaborone, Botswana |
Alma mater | Columbia University |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Spouse |
Abhijoy Gandhi (m. 2015) |
Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Title | |
Hair color | Black |
Eye color | Brown |
Major competition(s) | Miss World 1997 (Unplaced) |
Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe (born 14 November 1979) is a Motswana investor, businesswoman, model, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1999. She was the first black African woman to win one of the Big Four international beauty pageants, the first woman from Botswana to win, and the first from a nation making their debut in nearly four decades. Kwelagobe had previously been crowned Miss Botswana 1997 and Miss Universe Botswana 1999, and competed in Miss World 1997.
Kwelagobe has been recognized as a human health rights activist, especially for her fight against HIV/AIDS and advocacy for youth and women to have greater access to sexual reproductive education and services. She is the co-founder of QuesS Capital LLC, a private equity firm with investments in financial services, renewable energy and agriculture in Africa and South Asia.