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Member States Approve Appointment of Top Management Team

Geneva, September 3, 2003
Press Releases PR/2003/352

A key decision-making body of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) approved on Tuesday, September 3, 2003, proposals by Director General Dr. Kamil Idris to appoint two new Deputy Directors General (DDG) and two new Assistant Directors General (ADG), as well as to renew the mandates of two sitting DDGs. The Coordination Committee expressed consensus support for the renewal of Mrs. Rita Hayes (United States of America) and Mr. Philippe Petit (France) as DDGs. Member states also approved the appointment of Mr. Francis Gurry (Australia) and Mr. Geoffrey Yu (Singapore) to the post of DDG. Mr. Ernesto Rubio (Uruguay) and Mr. Khamis Suedi (United Republic of Tanzania) were appointed to the post of ADG. The appointments of the DDGs and ADGs are effective from December 1, 2003 through November 30, 2006.

The Committee, which is composed of 79 of WIPO's 179 member states, also approved the appointment of Mr. Narendra Kumar Sabharwal, as DDG in three years time. Mr. Sabharwal will take over from Mr. Yu in December 2006 and serve through November 30, 2009.

Delegates expressed support for the Director General's proposals. They commended the Director General's leadership and congratulated him on the choice of candidates. Speakers pointed out that all candidates were exceptionally well-qualified to support the work of the Director General and of the Organization in the coming years.

The Committee paid tribute to the outgoing DDGs, Mr. Roberto Castelo (Brazil) and Mr. Shozo Uemura (Japan).

Background (full curriculum vitae available in document WO/CC/50/2)

Mrs. Hayes joined WIPO in December 2001, having served since November 1997, as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative in Geneva, Switzerland and U.S. Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In that capacity, she was responsible for conducting trade negotiations and assisting the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in developing and implementing U.S. trade policy. In January 2001, Mrs. Hayes returned to Washington as Acting U.S. Trade Representative to manage USTR in Washington, D.C. and to facilitate the transition between administrations.

Mr. Petit also joined WIPO in December 2001 following a career in the French foreign service. Before joining WIPO he served as France's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva. Prior to that he was his country's envoy to Sweden, India, and Mauritius. Mr. Petit has also held several senior positions within the French government, including that of Special Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister.

Mr. Gurry is currently ADG and Legal Counsel of WIPO, responsible for WIPO's activities in the area of patents (including patent policy questions and the administration of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. Prior to joining WIPO in 1985, he practiced as an attorney in Melbourne and Sydney and taught law at the University of Melbourne.

Mr. Yu came to WIPO in 1981 from Singapore's foreign service, where he held postings in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York. He has since held a number of senior positions at WIPO, including in the office of the director general, cooperation for development and communications sectors. Mr. Yu is currently ADG overseeing WIPO's Copyright and Related Rights Sector.

Mr. Sabharwal, who will serve as DDG from December 2006 to November 30, 2009, comes from a career in the Indian Administrative Service, which he entered in 1965. Mr. Sabharwal joined WIPO in 1991 and currently heads WIPO's Development for Cooperation Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

Mr. Rubio joined WIPO in 1983 and until 2002 was closely involved in WIPO's cooperation for development program, having headed the regional bureau for Latin American and Caribbean countries from 1991 to 2002. In May 2002, Mr. Rubio was appointed as Senior Director of the Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications Department.

Mr. Suedi joined WIPO in January 1990 after a career in Tanzania's foreign service, spanning two decades. Mr. Suedi has represented his country in numerous international fora, with particular focus on development issues. Most recently within WIPO, he has served as Special Counsel to the Director General. Prior to that, Mr. Suedi was Director for Relations with International Organizations and Promotion of Innovations in Developing Countries, Director of the Industrial Property Human Resources Development and Inter-Agency Affairs Department and Director of the Office of Strategic Planning.

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