Intellectual Property Personalities

An Interview with Dr. Phan Tien Dzung, Director, Department of Technology Application and Development, Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology (May 2023)

Dr. Phan Tien Dzung helps researchers at the academy manage intellectual property and take innovations from the lab to the market. He explains how VAST manages intellectual property, and how the academy, with the help of IP Viet Nam and WIPO, went from 40 patents in 35 years to 63 in just one year.

An Interview With Danilo Basnillo Largo, Manager, Innovation and Technology Support Office, University of San Carlos, Philippines (November 2022)

Danilo Basnillo Largo is also a researcher and professor at the university with a life-long interest in seaweed. He tells how he came to develop a love affair with seaweed and about their amazing properties, their industrial applications, and their role in the blue economy. He also recounts his introduction to intellectual property, his invention, and his awareness-raising efforts at the university so researchers understand the value of IP protection.

An Interview With Professor Unnat P Pandit (October 2022)

Professor Unnat P Pandit has recently been appointed as Indian Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks. He talks about his function and the IP application review process in India. Yoga and ayurvedic medicine advocate, Prof. Pandit explains how the Covid-19 crisis has pushed the emergence of new business models in the wellness sector and fostered entrepreneurship. The wellness sector cuts across many others, such as tourism, apparel, and Ayurvedic knowledge and plants are a golden opportunity for research and innovation, he said. The sector is expected to grow in the years to come and be supported by IP. Prof. Pandit also gives a glimpse of potential change trends in the Indian IP system.

An Interview With Sonalie Figueiras (August 2022)

The Green Queen Who Wants to Rid the World of Plastic and Offer Sustainable Packaging.

As the founder and editor in chief of Green Queen Media, the leading global alternative protein media, the founder of Ekowareouse, an organic ingredient-trading platform, and co-founder and CEO of SourceGreenPackaging, Sonalie Figueiras is a serial entrepreneur willing to change eating and packaging habits for a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

An Interview With Dr Vishal Rao (July 2022)

Dr. Vishal U K Rao is a surgical oncologist who specializes in the head and neck at the Healthcare Global Cancer Center in Bengaluru, India. He co-invented a device, the Aum Voice Prosthesis, which gives patients their voice back after their voice box has been removed because of throat cancer.

An Interview With Mitchel Chua (June 2022)

Mitchel Chua talks about how young content creators perceive IP in Asia, and how content creation and copyright protection allow them to now build an entire career and livelihood.

An Interview With Sri Lankan Entrepreneur Heminda Jayaweera (April 2022)

Heminda Jayaweera is an entrepreneur from Sri Lanka who has built companies from the ground up. Read his interview for tips on how to take products to the market.

An Interview With Akkharawit Kanjana-Opas (March 2022)

Dr. Akkharawit Kanjana-Opas is the head of Food Innopolis, Thailand’s food innovation hub. He talks about the importance of intellectual property to bring innovations to market, and the necessary research and innovation to cater to the needs of a global growing population in the face of productivity challenges brought by an ageing farming workforce, climate change, and pandemics.

An Interview With Shazia Adnan (February 2022)

Shazia Adnan was recently appointed Director-General of the Intellectual Property Office of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan). She is the first woman appointed to this post. She talks about her vision for the office, its main functions, raising awareness of IP in the country, and Pakistan’s interest in further expanding its participation in the global IP treaty system.

Delivering Happiness: An Interview With Jenn Lim, CEO (February 2022)

Jenn Lim is the enthusiastic CEO of Delivering Happiness, the world’s first culture coach|sulting® [coaching + consulting] company. She tells about her personal path, her experience being a woman in the workplace, and her passion for Delivering Happiness and its aim to bring more meaning, purpose in workplaces, and ultimately creating a happier world, starting with a more fulfilling life. She describes the importance of intellectual property for the company, and all about her new book: “Beyond Happiness”.