General Manager Intellectual Property

Job Description

Title: General Manager – Intellectual Property (GM - IP)

Location: Bengaluru, India

Company Scale: $10B+ Revenue | Global IT Services

Reports To: SVP and General Counsel

Team Size: 8–15 Direct reports
 

͏Roles & Responsibilities

IP Strategy & Leadership

• Define and execute Wipro's global IP strategy aligned with business and technology objectives.
• Advise senior leadership on IP opportunities, risks, emerging technologies, and market developments.
• Build a culture of innovation, invention creation, and IP awareness across the organization

Portfolio & Innovation Management

• Lead the creation, protection, and optimization of Wipro's patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret portfolio.
• Collaborate with business and technology leaders to enable invention harvesting and portfolio development across engineering, AI, platforms, products, and consulting businesses.
• Oversee patent filing, prosecution, maintenance, and portfolio value realization globally.

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AI, Software & Emerging Technology IP

• Provide strategic guidance on AI, software, cloud, cybersecurity, digital engineering, and platform-related IP matters.
• Support protection, commercialization, and risk management for AI products, solutions, and platforms.
• Lead freedom-to-operate reviews and IP assessments for new technologies and offerings.

Governance, Risk & Transactions

• Own enterprise open-source software governance and compliance programs.
• Lead IP due diligence and support acquisitions, investments, partnerships, and strategic transactions.
• Advise on licensing, ownership, indemnity, commercialization, enforcement, disputes, and other complex IP matters.

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Operations & Team Leadership

• Partner with business, product, engineering, innovation, and legal teams to protect and leverage intellectual property.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing global IP team and external counsel ecosystem.
• Drive operational excellence, portfolio quality, and measurable business impact from IP investments.

͏Required Qualifications & Experience

Education:

• B.E. / B.Tech (Computer Science, IT, or ECE) or a related discipline.
• Advanced degree of LLB/LLM in IP Law preferred.
• Registered Patent Agent / Patent Attorney qualification preferred.

Experience: 

• 15+ years of experience working Intellectual Property functions, patent management, technology law, innovation management, or related areas.

• 5 years’ experience in a in a people-management or team-lead role.

Industry Profile: Core experience working inside a large IT services firm ($5B+ revenue) or a premier technology captive/GCC.

Technical & Domain Skills:

• Software IP Expertise: Deep understanding of software patentability guidelines in the US, India, and Europe.
• Work experience across patents, trademarks, copyrights, open-source software, software licensing, intellectual property transactions, and related governance matters.
• Emerging Tech: Working knowledge of IP implications in Cloud, Cybersecurity, IoT, and Generative AI frameworks.
• Process Excellence: Experience deploying or managing IP portfolio software & Tools to drive operational efficiency.