Bayes celebrates collaborative partnerships at Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network annual conference

Bayes Business School joined forces with its creative partners to celebrate collaborations that are addressing important global issues.

The Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GlobalWIIN) Conference, Showcase & Awards ceremony introduced speakers from around the world to discuss creativity, digital trends, sustainability and innovative solutions.

More than 70 attendees from different worldwide organisations presented at plenary sessions, hosted by the Centre for Creativity in Professional Practice at Bayes. These were on subjects including the pursuit of protection and ownership of intellectual property, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the rise of digital assets, the food industry, the growth of women inventors in the Middle East, investing in the next generation of female leadership and the value and impact of protection in a competitive world.

Speakers included:

• Alireza Rastegar, President of International Federation of Inventors’ Associations, in Geneva, Switzerland
• Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Secretary of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
• John Mugerwa, Ambassador/Deputy High Commissioner at the Uganda High Commission, UK
• Sheikha Nabila Al Sabah, Head of Ibtikar Initiative at the Al Saad Foundation, Kuwait
• Dr Jenny Lind Elmaco, Executive Member at the Asia Pacific Women Inventors & Innovators Network
• Perez Ochieng, CEO and Director at Sacoma Global Foods Innovation and Training

Dr Sara Jones, Director of the Centre for Creativity in Professional Practice, who supported the event, said:

“The collaboration provided an excellent opportunity to bring together several different strands of our work – on non-fungible tokens, intellectual property, and the Innovation for African Universities Programme. Our partners share our commitment to diversity and wider inclusivity when exchanging knowledge relating to innovation and invention.

“Congratulations to all the award winners, and thanks to all the speakers and those who showcased their inventions. I look forward to many future collaborations.”

Dr Sara Jones opens the event at Bayes Business School

Dr Bola Olabisi, founder of the GWIIN organisation, said: “GlobalWIIN and its team of experts have helped to shine the spotlight on the ingenuity of hundreds of women in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North America and the Caribbean. We recognise the need to stimulate inclusiveness and promote knowledge exchange in various industries. 

“We appreciate the opportunity provided to collaborate with Bayes and stage the GlobalWIIN Conference 2022. The two days brought together fresh-thinkers and the ingeniously-minded that demonstrate incredible untapped leadership skills. 

It was an incredible two days that served to invigorate business growth with those with initiatives that re-invent, help set industry standards, and radically create changes with impact.”

Ends

Notes to editors

About GlobalWIIN

GlobalWIIN is an independent not-for-profit one stop network set up to provide recognition of the challenges that women face in bringing commercially viable inventions and innovations to the competitive market. The organisation also serves as a vehicle for promoting social inclusion while dismantling gender gaps across various industries.

Event speaker profiles

Dr Eduardo Alonso

Dr Alonso, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre chaired the GWIIN session on NFTs and the Rise of Digital Assets, with the participation of Dr Hayleigh Bosher, James Faktor, Esme Palaganas and Jasmin Alhilli, who shared their thoughts on the opportunities that NFTs offer to innovators and entrepreneurs in the creative industries as well as commenting on the financial, legal and environmental challenges that the blockchain pose. The event was sponsored by the Alan Turing Institute through a Turing Network Development Award.

The organisation of the event is an example of the collaboration between CitAI and the Centre for Creativity in Professional Practice (C2P2), directed by Dr Sara Jones, a collaboration that explores innovation and creativity through the responsible use of emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence and the blockchain in particular in partnership with stakeholders in the cultural and creative sectors.

Professor Mary Kinoti

Prof Kinoti chaired the session on Higher Education’s role in accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship, highlighting the role of the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) programme through speakers including Judy Kepher-Gona, Dr Mary Mwangi, Dr Carolyn McMillan and Abigail Ofori-Amanfo. The IAU programme is funded by the British Council with the aim of closing the unemployment gap among the young in Sub Saharan Africa. Mary believes that women are change makers, who must tell their stories from their own perspectives, to build the confidence of women to take up their spaces and places in invention and innovation for socio-economic transformation.

Professor Kinoti is Associate Professor of Sales, Branding and Marketing Strategy at Faculty of Business and Management, University of Nairobi.

Professor Ruth Soetendorp

Professor Soetendorp is a visiting academic at Bayes Business School, City, University of London, who chaired the GWIIN session on the Pursuit of Protection and Ownership, with the participation of Agathe Michel-de Cazotte, Subina Shami, Hulda Sveinsdottir, and  Caelia Bryn-Jacobsen. The panel shared the importance of intellectual property protection for new inventors, and how the current worldwide situations influence the area of intellectual property rights.

Ruth Soetendorp is a visiting academic at Bayes Business School, teaching Intellectual Property Law and Management on the Masters in Innovation Creativity and Leadership.

Esme Palaganas

Esme Palaganas, is a member at UNCTAD eTrade for Women and Policy and Planning Chairperson/Board of Advisers at Philippine Fashion Coalition and the current master student at the Masters of Innovation, Creativity, and Leadership, led a presentation of her case study on NFTs and the Rise of Digital Assets from the Southeast Asian Perspectives. Her study shed light on the high adoption of NFTs in the ASEAN region due to its connection to the culture of tokens and the gaming industry.

Esme is a Postgraduate Student studying for a Masters in Innovation, Creativity, and Leadership, with her final dissertation on Web 3.0, Blockchain technologies, their impact on business and the creative industries, and implications for innovation management. She is also the Special Projects Manager of the Centre for Creativity n Professional Practice dealing with strategy and several special projects concerning the Centre.