I was responsible for worldwide patent and IP operations for the global market leader in kidney dialysis machines, disposables and services, reporting directly to a board member.
· Strengthened and expanded the German IP group and integrated the US and German patent operations, while managing litigation and settlements, acquisitions and technology contract matters. Multiple patent suits were taken from trial and appeal to successful litigation conclusions or settlement.
· Disparate international patent groups were integrated through formalized processes that brought a business case discipline to intellectual property decisions. Competitive threats and opportunities were identified and analyzed in a rigorous procedure.
· Worked with our insurer to prepare a detailed proposal for an IP captive insurer to better manage risk, the financial and the tax aspects of IP.
· Overall patent filings and oppositions doubled, and internal patent application filings went from zero to almost half the total. The subject matter of patent filings expanded as well from a primarily hardware-based approach to one that included medical systems, therapies and business processes. Two different processes and patent filing docketing databases (in different languages) were combined into a single, shared system, including software integration.
· Brought independent IP groups together to focus on immediate issues as well as to set long-term goals. The professional IP staff aggressively increased its skills and professionalism.
