Somalia's new president Hassan Mohamoud

Somalia's newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud waves at the podium after winning the election, in Mogadishu Sept 10, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

MOGADISHU - Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud beat the incumbent president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed by landslide in a run-off to win Somalia's presidential election on Monday.

Mohamoud is an academic-turned politician and has been a civic activist before coming to Somalia's politics. Graduating from Somali National University in 1981, he continued his postgraduate studies in India and got his master's degree from Bhopal University.

Mohamoud worked for a number of national and international civic organizations dealing with peace and development. Between 1993 and 1995, he worked as an education officer for the UN International Children's Emergency Fund in the south and center of Somalia.

Mohamoud is co-founder of the Somali Institute of Management and Administration known by its acronym SIMAD which was established in 1999 and was later turned into a University.

He started politics after he founded the as-yet unregistered independent Peace and Development Party (PDP) in 2011 in Mogadishu and serves as its chairman.