She has also served as an Independent Director on the Board of Barclays Bank of Mauritius Ltd between (2012-2015). As a Founding Member of the Pan African Association of African Medicinal Plants, she co-authored the first ever African Herbal Pharmacopoeia. She has authored and/or co-edited 28 books and several book chapters and scientific articles in the field of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
She has lectured extensively across the world and is a Member of the Editorial Boards of major journals, has served on Technical Committees in various capacities, including the Chair of several National Committees in Mauritius.
Dr. Gurib-Fakim has been elected Fellow of the Linnaen Society of London in 2007, Fellow of the Islamic Academy of Science, Jordan, in 2009, and Fellow of the African Science Institute in 2010 and the African Academy of Sciences. Dr. Gurib-Fakim received the 2007 l’Oreal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science and Laureate of the National Economic and Social Council.
She is recipient of the special prize from the CTA/NEPAD/AGRA/RUFORUM and the African Union Commission Award for Women in Science, both in 2009.
Dr. Gurib-Fakim, was elevated to the Order of the Commander of the Star and Key by the Government of Mauritius in 2008, and admitted to the Order of the Order of the Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the Government of France in 2010, and received DSc (s) from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Sorbonne Université), Paris, France in 2013 and from Greenwich University Pakistan (2015). In 2014, Dr. Gurib-Fakim became the first Mauritian to address the prestigious TEDGlobal Conference in Rio de Janeiro.
On 05 June 2015, Dr. Gurib-Fakim was sworn in as the 6th President and the First Female President of the Republic of Mauritius. She was elevated to the Order of GCSK by the Government of Mauritius, admitted to the Order of Francois 1er des Deux Siciles by Prince Charles of Bourbon and received the Legion d’Honneur from the Government of France in 2016. In June 2016, she was in the Forbes List for the ‘Most Powerful women in the world’.