DIRECTORS | caaipo

Executive Founding Director

Dr. Abiola Inniss

Abiola A.A.Inniss Ph.D., LLM, ACIarb, is the Founding Director of the Caribbean and Americas Intellectual property Organization -CAAIPO, the only non-governmental organization dedicated to education, research and practical development of intellectual property rights and policies in the Caribbean.

Dr. Inniss is the leading analyst and author on Caribbean Intellectual Property. She is also the founder of the Caribbean Law Digest Online. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration with specialization in Law and Policy from Walden University USA, and a Master of Laws in Business Law from DeMontfort University United Kingdom.

Dr. Inniss has authored several publications and written widely on Caribbean law and policy. She has designed case study research on Caribbean intellectual property , the most recent of which is " Examining Intellectual Property Rights , innovation and technology within the Caricom Single Market and Economy" published August 2017, and is currently active in other research projects.

Dr. Inniss is a Distinguished Toastmaster and highly regarded international speaker. She is also an Alternative Dispute Resolution professional with specialization in ADR for Business and IP. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Commercial Management -Caribbean Branch, and was elected to the Pi Alpha Alpha Honors Society for distinction in Public Administration in 2014.

Founding Director

Lennon Richards

Lennon R. Richards EMBA, Ph. D (c) is a Ph.D. researcher at Walden University U.S.A in Public Policy and Administration, with an emphasis in Public Management andLeadership, a business executive, politcian, and educator in Jamaica.

Mr. Richards brings a wealth of knowledge in finance, business management, public policy and administration, Caribbean business, as well as Caribbean politics. A former youth leader and youth ambassador; he was former vice president for the National Youth Leaders Association, and was a representative at various youth conferences for his country.

He is the owner of business concerns in Jamaica and has contributed many years of service in the public good as a member and chairman of several public administrative and school boards. He is public speaker and has addressed many events.

Technical Director

Dr. S. Rama Rao

Rama has worked at the global affairs and the United Nations for over three decades as a national delegate, diplomat and international civil servant. He worked with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for over fifteen years including the last five years and over as Director and Head of the Office at the United Nations in New York. Prior to that he worked with the Foreign Ministry of Government of India as legal adviser and covering several areas of the UN matters. He represented India and WIPO at different negotiations in the areas of intellectual property, human rights, science & technology, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions and genetic resources, international law, international humanitarian law, public health, green technologies environment and sustainable development, law of the sea, foreign investment protection, arbitration and dispute settlement. He is an adjunct professor at the School of International Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, and at the Pace Law Schools. He lectured extensively as a guest lecturer at different universities in US and India. He was also a full time professor for nearly half a dozen years at the Advanced Center for Legal Studies at the University of Madras prior to joining the Indian Foreign Ministry. He holds Bachelors degrees in science, law, and Masters and Doctorate in law.

Caribbean and Americas Intellectual Property Organization

Promoting intellectual property rights and innovation

Technical Director

Dr. S. Rama Rao