Our governance
The main steering board, audit committee and other governance groups of the IPO.
Our governance
The IPO has an Executive Board, Steering Board and Audit and Risk Committee to manage and advise on activities.
The Intellectual Property Office Framework Document specifies the governance arrangements that apply to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). This details the responsibilities of the Chief Executive, the main steering board, audit committee and other governance groups of the IPO. It also sets out the framework of policy, planning, accountability and delegations within which the Intellectual Property Office operates.
IPO Executive Board
The IPO Executive Board (known as IPOB) is the senior decision-making body of the organisation. The Board is responsible for setting the direction and making fundamental and over-arching decisions to support the organisation in achieving its objectives. The Board’s role is to take decisions on corporate issues, to ensure corporate initiatives are aligned with Ministerial targets and Departmental strategic objectives, to create and deliver the Corporate Plan and to manage the IPO within its remit as an Executive Agency Trading Fund in the interests of public and government stakeholders.
Executive Board members
- Adam Williams, Chief Executive Officer
- Andy Bartlett, Deputy CEO and Director of Services
- Sian-Nia Davies, Chief Digital, Data & Technology Officer
- Steph Dales, Interim Director of Strategy
- Neil Hartley, Finance Director
- Chris Mills, Director of Rights Policy and Enforcement
- Penny Phillpotts, Director of People and Places
- Lorna Dukes, Interim Director of Business and International Policy
IPO Steering Board
Our steering board advises ministers on the strategies, performance and targets set out in our corporate plan. It also provides commercial guidance on our operation and development. The Steering Board has no executive functions.
Board meetings
Minutes from each meeting are available once approved at the following meeting. Approved minutes are below:
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Previous minutes
Steering Board minutes from 2008 onwards are available in the National Archives and to request a copy of minutes from a previous meeting, please email secretariat@ipo.gov.uk.
Steering Board members
Members of the board are:
- Harry Rich, Chair of IPO Non-executive Board, Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, Chair of the Valuation Tribunal Service
- Andrew Lawrence, Independent IPO board member, former Chairman of the Board of Bron Afon Community Housing
- Laurie Benson, Independent IPO Board member, Chair of Audit Committee at Christie Group plc, and member of Board of Trustees for The Royal Air Force
- Harriet Kelsall, Independent IPO Board member, bespoke designer and business trailblazer working in the UK jewellery industry
- Hilary Newiss, Independent IPO Board member, lawyer and former partner in a City law firm, specialising in Intellectual Property, Trustee of the Natural History Museum
- Catherine Salway, Independent IPO Board Member, previously a Board Director within the Virgin Group
- Kirsty Whitehead, Independent IPO Board Member, Director for Monamy Trustees Limited
- Timothy Render, Independent IPO Board Member, Panel member for the Office for the Internal Market
- Adam Williams, Chief Executive and Comptroller General, Intellectual Property Office
- Andy Bartlett, Deputy CEO and Director of Services
- Alex Jones, Director General Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. The Director General provides a designated deputy
IPO Audit and Risk Committee
The audit committee is a sub-committee of our Steering Board and has no executive powers. The committee looks at our corporate governance, accounts, internal audits and external audits, and assesses how well we are meeting the requirements that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) places on executive agencies.
Committee meetings
The committee meets 4 times a year. To a request a copy of minutes from a previous meeting, email secretariat@ipo.gov.uk.
Committee members
Members of the committee are:
- Andrew Lawrence, Chair
- Chris Pleass, Independent Member, Director of Corporate Services, Electoral Commission
- Harriet Kelsall, Independent member, bespoke designer and business trailblazer working in the UK jewellery industry
The obligatory attendees are:
- Adam Williams, Intellectual Property Office, Chief Executive and Accounting Officer
- Andy Bartlett, Deputy CEO and Director of Services
- Neil Hartley, Intellectual Property Office Finance Director
Attendees by invitation are:
- Government Internal Audit Agency
- National Audit Office
- Head of Governance and Risk
- DSIT Representatives
- External Auditors
- Intellectual Property Office Executive Directors