Women's Entrepreneurship - Global initiatives and opportunities for women

Ms. Aguilar is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Human Resource Management and Development Division (HRMDD) of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). 

She is primarily responsible for overall supervision and management of human resource (HR) and organizational development policies, programs, and activities, working with an 11-member HR team. She has worked to formulate and update HR policies and programs, learning and development interventions, pre-employment psychological assessments, pre-retirement and wellness programs, and counseling services for employees. 

She is also a member of the Gender and Development Focal Point System of the IPOPHL. As the head of HRMDD, she ensures that the policies and programs for women employees are implemented as prescribed by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).

Under her leadership, IPOPHL received Level II Accreditation under the Civil Service Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM), which earned a Bronze Award. She is also working to guide HRMDD in developing the Enterprise Human Resource Information System (E-HRIS) to integrate all HR systems, and working towards Level III Accreditation for PRIME-HRM.

Claudia Franco is a Paraguayan attorney at law specializing in intellectual property, with more than twenty years of experience in the field advising authors and local and international companies on the protection and defense of their intellectual rights. In August 2023, she was appointed as National Director of the National Directorate of Intellectual Property (DINAPI) in Paraguay. 

Franco is a 2003 graduate of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (National University of Asunción), obtained a master's degree in intellectual property in 2006 from the Universidad de Alicante (University of Alicante), and completed a master's degree in publicity rights and sports and artists management in 2016 from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (University Rey Juan Carlos) in Madrid, Spain. She worked as an intern at the collective management entity Sociedad de Artistas Intérpretes y Ejecutantes (AIE) in Madrid. 

She has been part of prestigious Paraguayan law firms, managing the trademark portfolios of various national and international companies, with considerable experience in prosecution and litigation in matters of trademarks, patents, copyrights, and other distinctive signs, as well as advising and drafting contracts and legal opinions. As a private practitioner, she has advised audiovisual creators on several productions and the formation of a collective management entity.

Ms. Vivienne Katjiuongua is the Chief Executive Officer for the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) in Namibia. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM), cum laude, in international trade, investment, and business law. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in economics for competition law, a Baccalaureus Juris degree (B Juris), and a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB). Ms. Katjiuongua is an admitted legal practitioner in High Court in the Republic of Namibia and has the right to appear in the Namibian Supreme Court.

Ms. Katjiuongua has over 18 years of leadership experience across international, regional, and national organizations in both the public and private sectors. As a Mo Ibrahim Fellow in 2015, Ms. Katjiuongua served as a senior advisor to the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre in Geneva. She also served as a director for business practices at the Namibia Competition Commission between 2010-2015, trade advisor at the Agricultural Trade Forum between 2009-2010, and as a principle legal officer at the Government Attorneys Office between 2001-2009.

Ms. Katjiuongua has served on various boards, including president of WIPO, vice chairperson at the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia, trustee of the Namibia Mid Cap Fund, member of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Normalization Committee, chairperson of the Namibia Sports Commission, board member and vice chairperson of the Regional Anti-Doping Organization (2011-2015), and board member of the Executive Committee of the African Union Regional Sports Council.

In 2021, Katjiuongua was appointed as part of an 11-member committee to the Business Rescue Task Force by His Excellency, Dr. Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia.

Clyphendie Pierre-Louis has been the acting director general for the Services to Business Branch at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) since May 2023. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of business services, information technology, and information management. She began her journey with CIPO back in 2006, gaining expertise in implementing strategic initiatives focused on improving client satisfaction. Before her current position, she was the director of the Service Excellence team, responsible for providing overall leadership for CIPO’s service strategy, including service excellence culture, client service experience, and the client feedback framework. 

In her new role, Clyphendie focuses on increasing intellectual property (IP) literacy and the strategic use of IP among Canadian businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators by fostering a culture of innovation and IP-driven business growth. She is also passionate about promoting the value and benefits of IP in a competitive marketplace. 

Clyphendie’s educational background is in sciences, and she also holds a university certificate in quality management from the University of Manitoba.

Vaishali Udupa is the Commissioner for Patents of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As Commissioner for Patents, Ms. Udupa manages and leads the Patents organization as its chief operating officer. She oversees the agency’s 10,000 Patents employees, including more than 9,000 patent examiners responsible for fostering the country’s innovation system by providing patent protections to inventors as stated in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Read full biography.