WIPO Global Awards Jury Panel
Mr. Gastón Acurio (Peru), Years: 2022, 2023, 2024
Chef, writer, entrepreneur, and champion of Peruvian cuisine
Gaston Acurio is the gastronomic director of "Astrid & Gaston". Mr. Acurio published several books. He also directed and led the cable TV program "Aventura Culinaria" for over ten years.
Dr. Essam Bukhary (Saudi Arabia), Year: 2024
CEO of Manga Productions, Expert in Innovation, Leadership, and Creativity Management
Dr. Bukhary is a visionary leader renowned for his expertise in creative industries, particularly animation, video games and IP management. As the CEO of Manga Productions, he champions cross-cultural collaboration and innovation. Additionally, he serves as the General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Manga Arabia, a company dedicated to producing and publishing comics and magazines while actively supporting anti-piracy measures and promoting IP values. Dr. Bukhary has made significant contributions to various private and public organizations related to research and development, culture, and investment, serving as a board and committee member.
Mr. Philippe Dewost (France), Year: 2024
President, Phileos & Senior Advisor
Philippe Dewost co-founded Wanadoo (Europe’s #1 Internet Service Provider), and since then has been successfully launching other consumer services, software startups, publicly funded technology ecosystems, and corporate transformation program.
Mr. Songgen Dong (China), Years: 2022, 2023, 2024
Vice-President of China International Cooperation Association of SMEs (CICASME)
Vice president of China International Cooperation Association of SMEs (CICASME). Mr. DONG Songgen is a well-known international cooperation expert in China. He is familiar with corporate legal practice and other fields.
Ms. Sera Kyoung-a Eun (Republic of Korea), Year: 2024
CEO of CeraArt and Vice Chairman at Korea Business Woman's Association (KOVWA)
Ms. Eun is an entrepreneur and an expert in the development and spread of youth and women’s entrepreneurship, international business strategy, and industrial operations.
Ms. Karoli Hindriks (Estonia), Years: 2022, 2023, 2024
CEO and founder of Jobbatical
Karoli Hindriks is an Estonian entrepreneur, the CEO & founder of Jobbatical, a startup Forbes named one of Europe's 10 Most Exciting Technology SMEs For 2018. Jobbatical is working on removing the friction of international relocation by making immigration processes seamless through technology.
Ms. Zanele Mavuso Mbatha (South Africa), Year: 2024
CEO of Bambili and expert in financial markets
Zanele Mavuso Mbatha has over 28 years of work experience in the renewable energy and financial markets. She is the CEO of Bambili Energy, a hydrogen energy solutions provider and manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cell systems and their sub-components.
Ms. Lally Rementilla (Canada), Year: 2024
Managing Partner, Intellectual Property-Backed Financing, BDC Capital
Lally Rementilla oversees and provides strategic guidance to a national team that helps IP-rich companies become global leaders by accelerating their growth and commercialization of their innovation.
WIPO Global Awards Jury Alumni
Mr. Julius Akinyemi (Nigeria), Years: 2022, 2023
CEO and founder of UWINCorp and Entrepreneur In Residence - MIT Media Lab
Mr. Akinyemi is the Founder and CEO of UWINCorp; the Mobile Commodity Marketplace that creates the Next Generation Capital Market Infrastructure for rural commodities producers. He is also a current member of the Advisory Board of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT-Africa Committee and its MIT-Africa Executive Working Group.
Mr. Louis Foreman (USA), Years: 2022, 2023
Chief Executive Officer “Eventys Partners” Chairman on the Small Business Administration’s SBDC National Advisory Board and President of the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation (IPOEF)
Over the past 34 years, Mr. Foreman has created 10 successful start-ups and has been directly responsible for the creation of over 20 others. A prolific inventor, he is the inventor of 10 registered US Patents, and his firm is responsible for the development and filing of well over 700 more.
Mr. Bertrand Piccard (Switzerland), Year: 2023
Initiator & Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation
Explorer, psychiatrist, ambassador for clean technologies. First man to fly around the world in a balloon and in a solar airplane. As Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, he has succeeded in his mission to select 1000 profitable solutions to protect the environment and support clean growth.
Dr. Amin Badr-El-Din (Jordan), Year: 2022
Founder and CEO of BADR Investments, International Affairs expert and one of the Middle East’s leading economic and energy strategists
Involved in private equity, venture capital and angel investing activities globally, Dr. Badr-El-Din has over 35 years’ experience, structuring, leading and developing ventures in many fields including healthcare, energy, infrastructure, renewable energy, utilities, agriculture and technology.
Prof. Lily Kong (Singapore), Year: 2022
President of Singapore Management University
Professor Kong is internationally known for her research on urban transformations in Asia, with particular focus on social and cultural change. She has written extensively about communal relations, particularly, the intersection of religion and secularity in cities, creative industries/cities, urban heritage conservation, and smart cities.