A melting pot of innovation
With little in the way of natural resources, Singapore places a high value on its human capital—and its diversity. The city nation is a cultural melting pot, with its diverse racial population, ethnic cultures and religious traditions.
With a population of around 5.7 million, the country has since the 1960s made education a top priority in an effort to mine its intellectual talents.
The country’s location at the heart of Asia and its population—predominantly Chinese but also Indian and Malay—also allows it to comfortably stake a claim as a ‘hub’, previously for trade, then banking and now, IP.
On a roll
Rena Lee was appointed director of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) in August 2020 and is faced with an exciting, yet daunting, task. She now heads a department that is central to the nation’s prosperity at a time when her office has more reach than ever before.
In terms of its IP status, Singapore is certainly on a roll. This is due in no small part to the former chief executive of IPOS, Daren Tang, who left in 2020 to take the top job at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Tang is credited with driving the strategic transformation of IPOS from an IP registry and regulator into a core industry agency at the heart of Singapore’s future economy.
If rankings are anything to go by then Tang’s plan worked. The country was named second in the world and top in Asia for IP protection by the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global Competitiveness Report.
WIPO’s 2020 Global Innovation Index, which ranks countries’ innovation performance, ranked Singapore as the top in Asia and eighth globally. Bloomberg’s 2021 Innovation Index, which scores economies based on research and development spending, manufacturing capability, and concentration of high-tech, ranked it second in the world.
In April this year, IPOS launched the Singapore IP Strategy 2030 (SIPS 2030), a decade-long “blueprint to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global intangible assets and IP hub”.
Comprising at least ten government agencies, the scheme aims to help enterprises “unlock financing” through intangible assets and IP and “develop a credible and trusted valuation ecosystem”, explained the country’s second minister for finance and second minister for national development, Indranee Rajah.
”For those looking to pursue similar less-trodden paths, I say: know what drives you, trust in yourself, have passion for what you do and go for it.” - Rena Lee, IPOS
Pursue less-trodden paths
It is a success story that will no doubt inspire the IP offices of other countries that wish to pivot towards an IP economy. What drives Lee in her role?
A law graduate, Lee specialised early in her career in public international law. She is now a well-travelled diplomat, having held various roles including at Singapore’s diplomatic office in the Hague and as the country’s ambassador for oceans and law of the sea Issues and the special envoy of the minister for foreign affairs. Her love for her country and passion for furthering its interests is paramount.
“To be a member of the public service, to have had the experiences I have had, to be able to advocate for Singapore’s interests, continues to inspire me. When I embarked on my career, public international law was less well known and there were comparatively few practitioners in Singapore,” she says.
“Today, I am happy to say that interest and opportunities in this area have grown by a fair bit. For those looking to pursue similar less-trodden paths, I say: know what drives you, trust in yourself, have passion for what you do and go for it.”
In terms of her country’s success as a hub of innovation, Lee explains that Singapore’s diversity is a crucial factor. “Our English-speaking workforce, most of whom can also speak a second Asian language, enables us to act as a bridge between east and west. IPOS International, our enterprise and engagement arm, includes employees of nine nationalities from across Asia and Europe.
“Many of these colleagues have also had international experience, enabling them to better engage stakeholders.”
Percentage of IPOS’ workforce who are women
