New Deputy Directors General at WIPO

Geneva, July 7, 1998
Press Releases PR/1998/128

On a proposal by the Director General, the Member States of WIPO have approved the appointments of Mr. Roberto Castelo and Mr. Shozo Uemura as Deputy Directors General. Their decision followed the forty-first session of the Coordination Committee held at WIPO headquarters on July 6 and 7.

Mr. Roberto Castelo, 44 years old, national of Brazil, joined WIPO in 1996 as Director of the Conference and Operational Services Division, following 12 years spent within various Organizations of the United Nations family. He will now be in charge of WIPO's intensive cooperation for development program. He will also be responsible for two new programs, the WIPO Worldwide Academy and support for the promotion of innovation.

Mr. Shozo Uemura, 52 years old, national of Japan, is currently the Director General of the Fourth Examination Department and International Affairs of the Japanese Patent Office and has been mainly responsible for legal and international affairs related to intellectual property. He will be responsible for the progressive development of international intellectual property law.

Mr. François Curchod, 55 years old, national of Switzerland and of France, who has been a Deputy Director General of WIPO since 1991, will continue to be responsible for the global systems of protection, that is to say the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the Madrid and Hague systems.

The terms of office of the three Deputy Directors General will end on November 30, 2001.

The Coordination Committee also approved the appointment of four new Directors: the Director, Human Resources Management Division, the Director, Information Technology Division, the Director, Non-Governmental Affairs, Office of Legal and Organization Affairs, and the Controller.

For more detailed information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section of WIPO:

Tel: (+41 22) 338 92 46/338 98 24
Fax: (+41 22) 338 88 10
E-mail: publicinf@wipo.int