Ms. Sheela Thomas belongs to the Indian Administrative Service and currently the Chairman of the Rubber Board, a statutory national level body functioning under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and involved in all developmental and regulatory activities of the country’s rubber industry. Currently she also officiates as the Chairman of the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG), representing the Government of India, and in 2011 held chairmanship of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC). Ms. Sheela Thomas had also held several important positions with the Government of Kerala. These include Principal Secretary to Chief Minster of Kerala; Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperation; Secretary for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs; Secretary for Modernising Government Programmes.