Tan Shau En
IP ValueLab (a subsidiary of IPOS)
Executive Director,
Tan Shau En joined the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) in March 2017 as its chief financial officer/assistant chief executive (commercialisation). He is concurrently the executive director of IP ValueLab (a subsidiary of IPOS). He is responsible for developing an ecosystem that promotes innovation and drives future growth.
Tan has more than 20 years of experience in strategy development and financial management. Before joining IPOS, he was with Royal Dutch Shell for 16 years, where he held senior positions and led diverse global teams for the implementation of strategic reviews, benchmarking and data analytics capabilities for various business units. He was also tasked with redefining the strategic and operational options for Brunei Shell Petroleum.
Earlier, Tan was the head of finance and chairman of the contract board at Shell’s Pulau Bukom Refinery during a period of rapid expansion.

Shinjiro Ono
Yuasa & Hara
Patent Attorney
In 1970, Name Ono joined the Japan Patent Office (JPO) as a chemical examiner and he held several high positions in the JPO. He was appointed deputy commissioner in June 2002 and served until October 2005.
He vigorously advanced trilateral (EPO, USPTO, JPO) cooperation in patent examination and the international harmonisation of IP systems to globally support the acquisition of rights, including proposing a Patent Prosecution Highway by the JPO, and took initiative in establishing examination policies, guidelines and in conducting comparative studies among trilateral offices in fields of cutting-edge technologies, such as gene-related and pharmaceutical inventions.
After joining Yuasa and Hara in October 2005, he has been a patent attorney in the chemical section focusing on contested cases such as invalidation trials and opposition for global clients. Since 2007 he has been acting managing partner and head of the patent division.

Osamu Yamamoto
Yuasa and Hara
Partner
Osamu Yamamoto is a patent attorney, a partner of Yuasa and Hara, and the acting chief of the chemical section of the patent division. Before specialising in intellectual property, Yamamoto worked for 10 years in the research and development section in a company, thereby gaining experience in the development and practice of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
He has represented a variety of companies in the fields of diagnostics, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, and food and beverages. He is experienced in all aspects of patent issues, including drafting patent applications, providing expert opinions, and representing clients in oppositions, invalidation trials and infringement litigations.

Iain Armstrong Armstrong
HGF Limited
Partner
Iain’s scientific background lies in cell biology, and a continued interest in this field led him to develop a patent practice with a significant leaning towards cell-based therapies. Areas of particular focus include technologies relating to the production and development of immunotherapies (such as CAR-T cells), and the medical uses of stem cells (whether for regenerative medicine or the production of therapeutic cell types). He acts for clients ranging from universities to large pharma companies, and has nearly two decades of experience drafting and co-ordinating the prosecution of biotech patent portfolios.

Ben Goodger
Aslan Pharmaceuticals
General Counsel
Ben Goodger is general counsel of ASLAN Pharmaceuticals. A global IP expert with over 20 years of experience in advising corporations on the commercialisation, protection and strategic management of their IP and information technology assets, Goodger was previously with multinational law firm Osborne Clarke, where he was partner and head of IP licensing and transactions ins the UK.
He also has significant experience in Asia. Based in Shanghai, he ran his previous firm’s China business and Asia commercial IP groups.
A past president of the Licensing Executives Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Goodger has been ranked as a ‘Legal Expert’ in IP and IT in Legal Business, and has also been recognised by Intellectual Asset Management in its ‘IAM Licensing 250: The World’s Leading Patent and Technology Licensing Practitioners’ list. He is a graduate of Oxford University (Exhibitioner, Keble College).

Alfred Yip
IPOS
Director of the Registry of Patents, Designs and Plant Varieties
Alfred Yip is the director of the Registry of Patents, Designs and Plant Varieties at the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), a principal patent examiner and chair of the ASEAN Patent Examination Cooperation Taskforce. Prior to joining the Registries, he was a practice lead for the engineering group at the Search and Examination Unit.
Before joining IPOS, Yip was a principal consultant in a Japanese multinational corporation. He specialised in patent advisory work relating to wireless communication standards, and worked with business domains on matters including patent infringement, monetisation and competitive intelligence.
Yip has served in various office-bearer positions on the executive committee of the Licensing Executives Society of Singapore, and is the co-chair of the LES International High Technology Committee. He graduated from the Nanyang Technological University with a Bachelor of electrical and electronics engineering.

Sunita Sreedharan
SKS Law Associates
Founder & CEO
Sunita founded SKS Law Associates in 2007 to advise clients on creation, consolidation and protection of their IP portfolio including patents, trademarks, domain names, designs, copyrights, plant variety and matters relating to biological diversity. Her team of trained lawyers, patent agents and patent engineers provide contentious and non-contentious services relating to patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs, geographical indications and plant variety protection for Indian and foreign clients.
The SKS Law Team also provides advice on licensing & technology transfer, protection of trade secrets and biodiversity related issues. For a select clientele we conduct IP Audits and carry out competitive intelligence.

Liling Heng
Procter & Gamble
Patent Counsel-Innovation- Asia Legal, Homecare
Liling Heng is a registered Singapore patent attorney who worked for five years as a mechanical design engineer with Delphi Automotive. This was followed by 10 years in law firms including three years in the IP & technology group at Dentons Rodyk, during which she qualified as a patent attorney. Heng works in-house with P&G in Singapore, where she supports the Home Care business in Asia, preparing and prosecuting patent applications in mechanical and chemical arts, and preparing freedom to practise analysis. She has a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical and production engineering (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore).

Cheryl Pang
Procter & Gamble
Patent counsel
Cheryl Pang is a patent counsel at Procter & Gamble and a Registered Singapore Patent Attorney. She started her practice in IP in 2006 and has worked in a boutique IP firm and in leading law firms in Singapore. At P&G, Pang supports the Skin and Personal Care business in Asia. Her practice includes IP client counselling and related services such as patent application preparation and prosecution, freedom to practice opinions, agreement preparation and negotiation, support for IP enforcement, training, and compliance. She has a BSc in life sciences from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor of law from the University of London.