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WIPO Confirms New Senior Management Team

Geneva, September 26, 2014
PR/2014/768

WIPO member states endorsed on Friday proposals by Director General Francis Gurry for a new senior management team, consisting of four deputy directors general and four assistant directors general.

WIPO’s Coordination Committee, meeting during the current session of the WIPO Assemblies (Sept. 22 to 30, 2014), expressed consensus support for the slate of executives proposed by Mr. Gurry, who has been reelected for a second six-year term to begin on October 1, 2014. The new team will take up their appointments on December 1, 2014.

Mr. Gurry thanked the outgoing team for their work over his previous term, saying: “There have been many successful outcomes over that period and members of the Senior Management Team have played an indispensable role in achieving those outcomes.”

He said of the incoming executives: “I look forward to working closely with the new Senior Management Team, which is an outstanding team with a wide diversity of talent.”

The new appointees and their roles are as follows:

  • Ms. Anne Leer (Norway), Deputy Director General, Culture and Creative Industries Sector.
  • Mr. Mario Matus (Chile), Deputy Director General, Development Sector.
  • Mr. John Sandage (United States of America), Deputy Director General, Patents and Technology Sector.
  • Ms. Wang Binying (China), Deputy Director General, Brands and Designs Sector.

About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency that serves the world’s innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere.

We do so by providing services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property (IP) across borders and acting as a forum for addressing cutting-edge IP issues. Our IP data and information guide decisionmakers the world over. And our impact-driven projects and technical assistance ensure IP benefits everyone, everywhere.

For more information, please contact the News and Media Division at WIPO:
  • Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 / 338 72 24
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