Roberta Romano
About Roberta Romano
Roberta Romano is the Chief Sustainability Officer at the European Patent Office, where she has worked since 2022. She has a background in chemistry and has held various leadership roles within the organization since joining in 1997.
Current Role as Chief Sustainability Officer
Roberta Romano currently serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer at the European Patent Office, a position she has held since 2022. In this role, she focuses on integrating sustainability practices within the organization's operations and strategic initiatives. Her leadership aims to enhance the environmental performance of the European Patent Office while promoting sustainable innovation in the patent system.
Career at European Patent Office
Roberta Romano has had a long-standing career at the European Patent Office, beginning in 1997. She held various positions, including Patent Examiner in Chemistry from 1997 to 2010, Director from 2010 to 2015, and Principal Director for Vehicles & General Technology and Handling & Processing from 2016 to 2017. She served as Chief Operations Officer for Mobility & Mechatronics from 2017 to 2019 and for Health Biotech & Chemistry from 2019 to 2022. Her roles involved leading teams of patent examiners and administrative staff across multiple locations, including Munich, Berlin, and The Hague.
Educational Background
Roberta Romano has a strong educational foundation in chemistry. She studied at Sapienza Università di Roma, where she earned a Dottore in Chimica from 1985 to 1990. She furthered her studies at Technische Universität München, obtaining a Doktor Rer. Nat. (PhD) in Organic Chemistry from 1991 to 1994. Additionally, she completed her secondary education at Liceo Scientifico E. Majorana, achieving Maturitá Scientifica with a score of 60/60 from 1980 to 1985.
Experience at Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry
Before joining the European Patent Office, Roberta Romano worked as a Scientific Collaborator at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry from 1991 to 1994. This experience contributed to her expertise in the field of biochemistry and laid the groundwork for her subsequent roles in research and patent examination.
Previous Role at Procter & Gamble
Prior to her tenure at the European Patent Office, Roberta Romano served as an R&D Product Manager at Procter & Gamble from 1994 to 1997. In this capacity, she was involved in product development and innovation, applying her scientific knowledge to real-world applications in the consumer goods sector.