WIPO Academy Alumni Spotlight: Ms. Sheila Canda
June 10, 2024
Sheila Canda is another WIPO Academy alumni who is shaping the intellectual property system, one achievement at a time. With a background in law, she started working at the Industrial Property Institute (IPI) of Mozambique in 2013. After a few years at IPI, she was motivated by colleagues and her supervisor in particular to pursue a master’s degree specializing in intellectual property (IP). She applied for the Master’s Degree in IP (MIP) jointly offered by the WIPO Academy, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), and Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe and was accepted on a full WIPO scholarship.
Sheila completed the MIP Program in 2018, and it was not only an opportunity to upskill in all matters related to IP, but it also helped her to build a strong network of friends among her cohort. She maintains regular contact with the alumni of the program, many of which currently work for national IP offices in their respective countries too.
When you go to such a prestigious program, try to read as much as you can so you can understand early on what you are interested in. Don’t miss the chance to get to know your classmates on a personal level too, because they could become life-long friends and key contacts in your network.
Sheila Canda, Director General of the Industrial Property Office of Mozambique and WIPO Academy Alumna
The biggest challenges she faced during the MIP Program included the language barrier as a Portuguese speaker in an English program, and the rigorous nature of the courses, particularly during the assignment submission period. Sheila is grateful for the support offered to her by the WIPO Academy during the program, such as a supplementary course in English, which helped her manage pursuing a graduate program in a second language.
Director General of the Industrial Property
Institute (IPI) at the 64th Assemblies
of the Member States of WIPO in 2023.
(Image: Mrs. Susan Mwiti/ARIPO)
Her favorite part of the experience was learning under Dr. Fernando Dos Santos, a fellow alumnus of one of the WIPO Joint Masters’ Programs and a national of Mozambique who previously served as the Director General of IPI and later on as the Director General of ARIPO. She was greatly inspired by Dr. Dos Santos and hopes to follow in his footsteps, which so far has been a successful feat for her.
Sheila was appointed as Director General of IPI in 2023, and plans to modernize the IP system in Mozambique using the knowledge and skills she gained through the WIPO Academy, and ultimately to promote IP across all industries in her country. Her personal goal is to eventually pursue a doctorate in IP, and to become a tutor on the WIPO Academy’s Distance Learning courses.
Interested in building your IP knowledge and skills?
The WIPO Academy offers year-long opportunities for those wishing to develop their IP knowledge and skills through its Executive Training Program, Distance Learning courses, Joint Master’s Programs and WIPO Summer Schools.
To learn from our alumni and their experiences, please connect to our growing alumni community on LinkedIn by joining the WIPO Academy’s official “Academy Community”.