In any roll call of director generals who have taken the helm at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) after securing the top job in IP, Daren Tang stands out.

As the first Asian to be appointed to lead the United Nations agency, he is acutely aware that such visibility matters.

Indeed, Tang—who took the role in 2020 after a spell as director of the IP Office of Singapore (IPOS) and then beating Wang Binying, WIPO’s then deputy director general to the post—celebrates his ‘outsider status’.

“I’m the first director general to come from outside WIPO; all my predecessors for the past 40 years have been promoted from within the organisation,” he notes.

And after coming from a different career path than his predecessors, as well as the cultural melting pot of Singapore, he believes he is well-placed to promote and foster working cultures “that are more open, dynamic, and transparent”.

As a caveat, however, he observes that: “Cultural change doesn’t come easily. You need to change habits that have been established for quite some time.”

But despite being visibly tired after emerging from an “intense working period” when he joins WIPR Diversity for a call—and these acknowledged barriers —Tang’s enthusiasm for promoting D&I appears boundless.

“I have a vision of what the world can potentially look like in 20 years’ time. I continually imagine a better world for my children to live in, work in and raise their loved ones,” the former international awyer, committed family man and accomplished jazz musician enthuses.

Taking action

And such a vision requires action rather than mere words, insists Tang, who has lost substantial shut-eye after having just emerged from a “frantic” fortnight overseeing WIPO’s Assemblies.

In landmark developments, the event welcomed a breakthrough in hitherto stalled treaty agreements covering design law as well as the protection of generic resources and traditional knowledge—a breakthrough much sought after by indigenous communities.

“I could see tears and it was quite amazing. I didn’t expect this—no one expected it,” says Tang, who adds that such material progress needs to be seen more in the delivery of D&I goals.

“We don’t just want to talk, or add noise. I want WIPO to be a place where people act after talking,” he says.

And Tang is no stranger to achieving ambitious and visionary goals. His five-year term at the head of IPOS saw major updates to Singapore’s IP Hub master plan, legislative and policy reforms to the IP regime, and a scaling up of international engagement.

By the end of his tenure in 2020, he had driven the strategic transformation of IPOS from an IP registry and regulator into a core industry agency at the heart of Singapore’s economy.

Serving the underserved

Now his attention is firmly fixed on global ambitions—and his message that the potential of IP is open to everybody, regardless of background or circumstances.

“We are the global agency for IP, so the most important aim is to build a more inclusive IP ecosystem throughout the world,” he emphasises.

In his opening speech marking his appointment to WIPO, he underscored how after 50 years, several member states remain unaware of how IP can help advance their economies.

Special attention, he urged, must be paid to those that need more help, especially the developing countries and the least developed among them—and this support must respect political, economic and cultural considerations.

To achieve this, Tang tells WIPR Diversity that he is determined to correct a widespread and long-held misconception.

“Historically, the IP system has served big companies: after all they know how to use the IP system. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, we’re now trying more to serve the underserved,” he explains.

This involves reaching out to four core groups: women, young people, indigenous communities, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“It’s our plan for the next five years to reach out to communities that have felt for too long that IP is not a friend, and that it’s something to be feared or very mysterious,” adds Tang.

Challenges remain

But challenges loom large, as he ruefully acknowledges that gender parity in patenting remains a distant prospect.

According to WIPO research, only 16.5% of inventors named in international patent applications in 2020 were women. The organisation estimates that, at the current pace, gender parity amongst listed inventors will only be reached in 2058.

The statistics “are just not good enough”, reflects Tang, who proceeds to qualify this with a typically resolute call to action.

“We really need to get to work to try and change them. That means bringing more women to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), which in turn means that more are likely to enter the IP profession. Then, from there, we should be able to see better gender parity in the technological aspects of IP. But the question is, what are we doing right now to help to shape this?”

One answer comes in the form of WIPO’s new IP and gender champion—the first in its history. Tang appointed Lisa Jorgenson, who became the first female deputy director general for WIPO’s patents and technology sector in November 2020, to take on this role in promoting greater gender diversity in IP and innovation worldwide.

Tackling pandemic setbacks

“But things don’t change overnight,” concedes Tang, noting that a critical driving factor in moving the needle of D&I—education—has been dealt a devastating blow by COVID-19.

According to an August 2020 United Nation’s report, “Impact of COVID-19 on SDG progress: a statistical perspective”, the pandemic has severely disrupted efforts to achieve key educational goals in developing countries.

“Education has taken a beating. Yes, of course, some have been able to move to distance and e-learning, but for those living in countries without that current infrastructure, that’s just not possible,” reflects Tang.

The pandemic has been particularly harsh on women innovators in developing countries, he continues.

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s (GEM’s) 2021 report on women’s entrepreneurship, the highest rates of female entrepreneurial activity are found in low income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (24%) followed by the Middle East and Africa (16.3%), compared to just 5.7% in Europe and North America.

On the downside, women entrepreneurs globally reported a 20% higher rate of business closures due to the pandemic.

“A lot of entrepreneurs in developing economies are women; so if they are not able to access education or develop and market their products locally, then this period has been incredibly tough for them,” adds Tang.