Welcome to the latest instalment of Managing IP’s ‘Five minutes with’ series, where we learn more about intellectual property practitioners on a personal and professional level.
This time, we meet Hady Khawand, founder of AÏP Genius in Bahrain.
Someone asks you at a party what you do for a living. What do you say?
I usually say I work at the intersection of law and technology, trying to make the world of intellectual property a little less mysterious – and a lot more efficient.
Talk us through a typical working day.
There’s no ‘typical’ anymore. My days jump between product strategy for AÏP Genius, team standup meetings, speaking with global IP owners, analysing how our AI is interpreting new legal updates, and then occasionally shifting back into academic mode for my PhD research. It’s a blend of law, technology, and problem-solving – on fast-forward.
What are you working on at the moment?
Building and scaling AÏP Genius, an AI-powered ecosystem for IP advisory, search, filing, and portfolio management. At the same time, I’m finalising the next phase of my PhD work on IP strategy and SME exits in the Gulf. Both projects feed into each other: one is practice, the other is theory.
Does one big piece of work usually take priority, or are you juggling multiple things?
It’s constant juggling – but with clear priorities. When you’re building a vertical-AI platform in a field as fragmented as IP, everything matters: product, clients, regulatory frameworks, partnerships, research. The trick is knowing which ball can fall to the ground and which absolutely cannot.
What is the most exciting aspect of your role, and what is the most stressful?
The exciting part is shaping how IP services will work in the future – faster, fairer, more transparent, and genuinely user-centric. I don’t label any part of my role as ‘stressful’, but there are real challenges: building technology for a sector that wasn’t designed for automation, and encouraging in-house teams and IP firms to step out of their comfort zone and engage with a new operating model. These challenges energise me more than they drain me, especially when tackled with the team.
Tell us the key characteristics that make a successful IP lawyer/practitioner.
Curiosity, precision, and patience. IP rewards people who can see the big picture yet obsess over the smallest detail. And today, adaptability is just as important – the law is evolving faster than ever.
What is the most common misconception about IP?
That it’s only about registering rights. In reality, registration is the easy part. The strategy behind what to protect, when, where, and why – and how to turn those rights into value – is where IP actually starts to matter.
What or who inspires you?
People who build things that didn’t exist before – founders, researchers, policymakers who push boundaries with responsibility. And my students, their questions always force me to rethink “established truths”.
If you weren’t in IP, what would you be doing?
Probably something that still mixes analysis, creativity, and systems thinking – maybe teaching full-time or working on another venture involving technology and regulation. I doubt I’d survive in a slow-moving industry.
Any advice you would give your younger self?
Take bolder risks earlier. And worry less about perfection –clarity and momentum matter more.
What is your motto in life?
Lead with integrity and design a world where humans and AI amplify each other.
