Women and IP Symposium 2026: May Hassan
Transcript
May Hassan, Director of General Administration for Trademarks and Industrial Designs
I believe the conversation around women and intellectual property must now move beyond awareness into more measurable implementation and economic impact.
Across Egypt, the Arab region, and Africa, we are witnessing a growing generation of highly creative women, innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, designers, and creators. The challenge today is not a lack of talent or ideas. The real challenge is ensuring that women are able to transform innovation into protected, commercialized, and sustainable economic assets. This is where intellectual property management becomes critically important.
Women need not only access to IP systems, but also practical understanding of commercialization, monetization strategies, branding, digital business development, and the strategic management of intangible assets within the rapidly evolving digital economy.
As artificial intelligence and emerging technologies continue to reshape global markets, it's essential that women are not only participants in innovation ecosystems, but also active owners, creators, and strategic beneficiaries of intellectual property.
I believe WIPO can play an even stronger role by supporting more action-oriented initiatives that connect IP education with entrepreneurship, technology, AI, and real market opportunities.
Capacity-building programs should increasingly focus on helping women translate ideas into scalable businesses, digital assets, protected brands, creative industries, and innovation-driven enterprises.
In addition, stronger regional partnerships between IP offices, universities, innovation hubs, private sector actors, and policymakers across developing countries can significantly accelerate inclusive economic growth and participation. The future of intellectual property must be more inclusive, practical, digitally connected, and economically empowering.
Women across our regions are not lacking ambition, creativity, or capability. What they need are stronger institutional pathways that transform innovation into sustainable impact and long-term opportunity. Because when a woman's innovation is successfully brought to life, her creativity not only changes her own future and uplifts her family, it changes economies, reshapes communities, and quietly transforms generations to come.
May Hassan, Director of General Administration for Trademarks and Industrial Designs
I believe the conversation around women and intellectual property must now move beyond awareness into more measurable implementation and economic impact.
Across Egypt, the Arab region, and Africa, we are witnessing a growing generation of highly creative women, innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, designers, and creators. The challenge today is not a lack of talent or ideas. The real challenge is ensuring that women are able to transform innovation into protected, commercialized, and sustainable economic assets. This is where intellectual property management becomes critically important.
Women need not only access to IP systems, but also practical understanding of commercialization, monetization strategies, branding, digital business development, and the strategic management of intangible assets within the rapidly evolving digital economy.
As artificial intelligence and emerging technologies continue to reshape global markets, it's essential that women are not only participants in innovation ecosystems, but also active owners, creators, and strategic beneficiaries of intellectual property.
I believe WIPO can play an even stronger role by supporting more action-oriented initiatives that connect IP education with entrepreneurship, technology, AI, and real market opportunities.
Capacity-building programs should increasingly focus on helping women translate ideas into scalable businesses, digital assets, protected brands, creative industries, and innovation-driven enterprises.
In addition, stronger regional partnerships between IP offices, universities, innovation hubs, private sector actors, and policymakers across developing countries can significantly accelerate inclusive economic growth and participation. The future of intellectual property must be more inclusive, practical, digitally connected, and economically empowering.
Women across our regions are not lacking ambition, creativity, or capability. What they need are stronger institutional pathways that transform innovation into sustainable impact and long-term opportunity. Because when a woman's innovation is successfully brought to life, her creativity not only changes her own future and uplifts her family, it changes economies, reshapes communities, and quietly transforms generations to come.
June 17, 2026