VINCE CABLE

Vince Cable was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in May 2010. He is the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham.

Vince was educated at Nunthorpe Grammar School, York and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he studied natural science and economics and was President of the Union. He then studied for a PhD at Glasgow University.

He served in the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as Spokesman on Trade and Industry from 1999 to 2003, and Shadow Chancellor from 2003 to 2010. He was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2006 to 2010.

After graduating, Vince worked as Treasury Finance Officer for the Kenyan Government between 1966 and 1968. From 1968 to 1974 he lectured in economics at Glasgow University. He then worked in a range of senior economic and foreign policy roles, before becoming Shell International's Chief Economist in 1995.

Antonio Campinos

António Campinos became President of OHIM on 1 October 2010. Mr Campinos is 45 years old, and a native of Portugal. After studying law at the Universities of Montpellier and Nancy, he worked in banking before moving to the public sector. Mr Campinos became IP Commissioner and President of the Directive Council of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) of Portugal in 2005. Mr Campinos was also Chairman of the Ad Hoc working group on the Legal Development of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks. Mr Campinos has had strong links with OHIM for many years. From November 2005 to November 2007, he was head of the Portuguese delegation to OHIM´s governing body, its Administrative Board, and became its Chairman in November 2007, prior to his election as President.

Victoria Espinel

Victoria A. Espinel is President and CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance, the leading advocate for the global software industry before governments and in the international marketplace.

Prior to heading BSA, Espinel served in the White House as the first US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. She was charged with developing and implementing the Administration's overall strategy for enforcement of intellectual property.

Espinel previously was a professor at the George Mason University School of Law, teaching intellectual property and international trade law. While at George Mason, she acted as an advisor on intellectual property issues to the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee.

In 2009, Espinel founded Bridging the Innovation Divide, a not-for-profit foundation focused on addressing the "innovation divide" and empowering all Americans to obtain the full benefit of their creativity and ingenuity.

In 2005, Espinel was asked to serve as the first Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation at the Office of the US Trade Representative, creating the office of Intellectual Property and Innovation at USTR and serving as the chief US trade negotiator for intellectual property and innovation.

Espinel holds an LLM from the London School of Economics, a JD from Georgetown University Law School, and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

ANDERS C. JESSEN

Anders C. Jessen works at DG TRADE in the European Commission as Head of Unit for Public Procurement and Intellectual Property. Since assuming this position on 1 October 2010 he has been in charge of the office in DG TRADE responsible for trade related IPR matters in relation to all third countries. The office for example represents the EU in WTO/TRIPS Council as well as in the G8 and OECD for IPR relevant files. The office is also responsible for bilateral trade matters in relation to public procurement.

Anders C. Jessen has a total of 28 years of working experience in both the public and private sectors. For more than 20 years he has worked in the European Commission, first as a legal advisor in the Legal Service, then as Head of Section in the Washington Delegation responsible for transport, energy and environment, followed by a period as Deputy Head of Unit in DG Trade in the Unit in charge of multilateral services negotiations under the DDA as well as bilateral services negotiations. His most recent job prior to his current position was as Head of Unit for Resources and Strategic Planning in DG TRADE, including a six and-a-half month period as Acting Director for Resources and Economic Analysis.

Prior to joining the Commission Anders C. Jessen worked for seven years in the private sector, where he practised law with two of the leading law firms in Copenhagen, Denmark, in corporate practise with a focus on transactional work and litigation. He has represented the Commission before the European Court of Justice, the European Court of First Instance, and the EFTA Court and he has represented the EC in different international fora such as the WTO (Council for Trade in Services (CTS) and its subsidiary bodies), the TRIPS Council, and the OECD (OECD Working Party of the Trade Committee) and in negotiations with third countries in relation to trade in services, IPR and procurement. He co-chairs the IPR Dialogues or Working Groups that the EU has set up with Brazil, China, Russia, Thailand, Argentina, and the USA. He is also the lead negotiator for the procurement negotiations under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Anders C. Jessen holds a Candidatus Juris (cand.jur.) degree from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Master of Laws Degree from Duke University School Of Law, USA.

Ed Vaizey

Ed Vaizey was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries in May 2010. He is the Conservative MP for Wantage and Didcot. Ed was educated at Merton College, Oxford. After university he worked as a political researcher, before training and practising as a barrister. From 1996 to 2004 he was director of a public relations company. In 2004 he became a political speech writer. He was Shadow Minister for the Arts from 2006 to 2010.

JOHN W. SPELICH

John W. Spelich is vice president, International E-commerce Business Development, for Alibaba Group, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies, with responsibility for government and regulatory affairs relations specific to Taobao Marketplace, Tmall.com and AliExpress, and international product marketing/communications for the Group's core e-commerce and payment businesses.

Prior to his current role, Spelich served as vice president, International Corporate Affairs, and oversaw all external communications and corporate affairs outside of Mainland China for Alibaba Group. Prior to joining Alibaba in Nov. 2008, Spelich, a 30-year veteran of the communications field, also held senior positions with such major corporations as Ford Motor Company; Gateway; and The Walt Disney Company. He began his career as a newspaper reporter, writing for publications including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Detroit Free Press.

Spelich holds a bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of Michigan and a J.D. (Summa Cum Laude) from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Arthur W. Page Society.

VAL MCDERMID

"The acknowledged queen of the psychological thriller" - The Guardian

Award-winning crime writer Val McDermid is a Number One bestseller, translated into more than 30 languages, with over two million copies sold in the UK and over 10 million worldwide. She has written 27 bestselling novels; The Skeleton Road - her 28th – will be published by Little, Brown on 11 September 2014. In March 2014, she published her retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.

A regular broadcaster with BBC Radio, Val's five-part Woman's Hour drama Village SOS was broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and in 2011 Val also presented BBC Radio 4 serial The Chalet School, in which she talked about how the series of books inspired her education and career. She recently presented Pick of the Week on BBC Radio 4, has fronted several features for BBC Two's The Culture Show and is also a supporter of the Million for a Morgue campaign, which aims to build a world class morgue that will be named after one of the crime writers involved.

In 2011, Val was the recipient of the Pioneer Award at the 23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards. In 2010, she was awarded the prestigious CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger. This followed her induction into the Hall of Fame at the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards in 2009, the same year in which she was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at St Hilda's College, Oxford. She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. In 2007, she won The Stonewall Writer of the Year Award. In December 2012, Val became a Celebrity Mastermind champion (!) and her winnings were donated to women's charity, Eaves.

The popular ITV series Wire in the Blood, based on McDermid's books and starring Robson Green as Tony Hill, ran for an impressive six series. A 3-part ITV drama of Val's A Place of Execution was broadcast in the autumn of 2007 to great critical acclaim and won the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Screenplay.

In 2012, Val publisher her first book for children, My Granny is a Pirate! Hugely successful festival appearances followed creating a new, and somewhat younger, following.

Val was born in Kirkcaldy, a small town in the heart of the Scottish mining community. She graduated in English at St Hilda's College, Oxford – the first from a Scottish state school to do so - before going on to be an award winning journalist for sixteen years. Her first novel was published in 1987.

Val is a lifelong Raith Rovers Football Club supporter and at the start of June 2011 was appointed as a Director on the board. Val's other loves in life include walking on the beach, cars and music. She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.

THEO BERTRAM

Theo Bertram is Head of Public Policy and Government Relations at Google UK. Prior to joining Google in 2011, Theo was Head of Public Affairs at Telefonica O2. Between 2006 and 2010, he was a Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and was Head of the Research and Information Unit at 10 Downing Street. He also holds a PhD on Samuel Beckett.

Richard Mollet

Richard Mollet became Chief Executive of the Publishers Association in October 2010. In this role he is responsible for leading political engagement with government and parliament at a national and EU level. He also regularly represents publishers in the broadcast and print media.

Prior to this he was Director of Public Affairs at the BPI (the representative body of the UK recorded music industry) where he was closely involved in the Digital Economy Act, the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, and the wider debates around the value of copyright and the creative industries.

Before joining the BPI Richard had ten years experience as a political communications consultant, working across a range of political and media sectors. He studied PPE at Worcester College, Oxford University. Richard is Chair of Book Industry Communication and Chair of the cross-industry Alliance for Intellectual Property.

(The Publishers Association is the representative body for the book, journal, audio and electronic publishers in the UK. Its membership of 117 companies spans the academic, education and trade sectors, comprising small and medium enterprises through to globally successful companies. The PA's members annually account for around £4.6bn of turnover, with £3.1bn derived from the sales of books and £1.5bn from the sales of learned journals.)

Stephen Lechner

Dr Lechner is the Director of the Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen (IPSC) at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). The IPSC is located in Ispra, Italy and employs over 300 researchers on technical and scientific security aspects of various sectors (buildings, networks, financial systems, society) crisis management, maritime security and new Information Technology. Dr Lechner's background is in mathematics and computer sciences and he holds a PhD in cryptography.

Before joining the European Commission, Dr Lechner used to be Global Department Head for Security Research at Siemens Corporate Research from 2002 to 2007. He worked as head of Corporate Security and as IT Security in the telecommunications sector in Germany from 1993 to 2002 and started his professional career as network security researcher at Siemens in 1989.

Dr Lechner was member of the European Security Research advisory Board (ESRAB) and Member of the Permanent Stakeholders' Group of the European Network and Information Security Agency ENISA. He was also chairman of the Secure IST Advisory Board for the respective co-ordination action in Framework Programme 6.

He used to work in European Standardisation in ETSI and ECMA and holds an active CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) qualification.

Allison Mages

Allison Mages is a Senior Counsel for IP Procurement and Policy at General Electric. Currently, her focus areas include strategic IP portfolio development, technology policy, emerging markets, and healthcare and energy technologies. Prior to her current role, Allison served as GE's Director of IP Operations where she developed metrics to monitor the health of IP departments, emphasizing enhancing patent quality while decreasing application pendency. She also led a team to standardize and improve GE's IP processes varying from patent preparation and enforcement to disclosure and budget management.

In addition, Allison has extensive expertise in IP analytics, including developing intelligent and automated patent landscaping methodologies. As an inventor, she has been issued patents in diverse areas such as remote monitoring, information management, and surgical navigation.

Allison earned her Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and is a graduate of the Quinnipiac University School of Law. She is a member of the Connecticut bar and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

RICHARD ATKINSON

Broadly recognized as an expert and non-traditional strategist in the convergence of customers, business, and advanced technology, Richard currently leads Adobe's Global Piracy Conversion Strategy and associated programs.

A passionate leader that believes in protecting customers versus punishing them, Richard has evolved how Adobe considers piracy into demonstrated demand that can be converted into legitimate sales. Core to the insight is in understanding how pirate users do tend to pay, but usually pay someone else.

A C-level executive with 25+ years leading world-class teams, Richard brings a very senior business perspective having been the former CTO for Walt Disney Imagineering, CIO for Walt Disney Studios, Chief Communications Technologist/CTO for defense giant Northrop Grumman, and CSO for Electronic Arts focused on cyber-threat.

An accomplished keynote speaker and spokesperson for industry on technical innovation, product security, and cyber security, Richard also served as a White House and NSC advisor to multiple presidential administrations and top foreign leaders.

Jean Bergevin

Jean Bergevin was born and educated in the UK. He graduated with a BA in Economics and French in 1981. His post-graduate qualifications consist of a MA in Economics and a PhD on the Economic Analysis of the industrial market for electricity in the UK.

In 1986 he was recruited to IEA Coal Research as an economist to study the international industrial market for coal.

In 1988 he was recruited as an economic adviser at the DTI (UK Department of Trade and Industry) where he worked in a Market Assessment Unit covering numerous heavy industries and notably the steel and chemicals sectors.

In 1989 he joined the European Commission as a policy officer in the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs where he was involved in the analysis of firms' strategies in the Internal Market. He also acted as this Directorate General's contact point for Competition policy and worked closely with the team who established the Merger Task Force in DG Competition.

Since October 1991 he has been working in the Directorate General for the Internal Market and Services ( DG MARKT). He was a member of policy Units dealing with media, commercial communication, e-commerce and services in the Internal Market between 1991 and 2004. He was involved with the preparation of the Commission Green Paper on commercial communications in the Internal Market in 1996, the 1998 Commission Communication on this same issue and the Commission Proposal for a Regulation on Sales Promotion adopted in 2001.

In June 2004 he was appointed as the Head of Unit of DG MARKT E-2 (Retail and Information Services). This Unit was responsible for applying Internal Market law to distributive trade services, commercial communication services, media services, technical testing/accreditation services and gambling services. It was also responsible for the e-commerce and conditional access directives and for the evaluation of notifications of new national information society rules falling under directive 98/34. The Unit prepared the Commission's second implementation Report on the Conditional Access directive in 2008 , the Commission's Retail Market Monitoring report in 2010 and the Commission Green paper on on-line gambling services in 2011.

In April, 2011 he was appointed to his current position as the Head of Unit of MARKT D3 (Fight against Counterfeiting and Piracy). This Unit is responsible for the application of Directive 2004/98/EC on the enforcement of IPR and the review of that text foreseen in 2012. It is negotiating the proposed Regulation of the Commission to establish the Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy within OHIM and is developing stakeholder dialogues seeking to establish agreements to improve IPR enforcement such as the MoU on the sale of counterfeit goods that was signed in Brussels in May 2011. The Unit is also involved in preparatory work on improving the enforcement of trade secrets and against lookalikes in the EU.

RICHARD HOOPER

Richard Hooper CBE is Chairman of the Copyright Hub, the ground-breaking group of ideas for making copyright licensing simpler, being followed with interest in Geneva, Brussels, Washington DC. Richard has devoted his career to the converging worlds of media, telecommunications and technology. After an executive career in the BBC, British Telecom and running a pan-European satellite tv channel, he now has a portfolio career with a combination of board directorships and advisory work. He was founding deputy chairman of Ofcom, chaired the independent review of the Royal Mail for the British Government which led to its successful privatisation last year and is Senior Independent Director on the Board of VocaLink Holdings which runs world class automated clearing payment systems (Faster Payments, Link, BACS) in the UK, Singapore and Sweden. He recently chaired an experts' panel in Singapore for the telecoms regulator (the IDA) on Big Data. He mentors company directors and does Board evaluations as principal mentor for Bird & Co Boardroom and Executive Mentoring. He graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from Worcester College, Oxford in 1963. He is married to the Australian writer and historian, an expert on Antarctica, Meredith Hooper (Australian of the Year in the UK, 2014) and one of his sons is the Oscar-winning film director, Tom Hooper (The King's Speech, Les Miserables).

VINCE BANNON

Vice President, Entertainment Partnerships and Development, Getty Images (DM) Vince Bannon, Getty Images, Vice President, Entertainment Partnerships and Development, is responsible for global entertainment business development. Vince is a seasoned music industry veteran. He founded Concert Company Ritual (later sold to Live Nation) and was SVP of Sony Music.

Vince ventured into new digital pastures in the beginning of the new century with start-up image net, l ater acquired by Getty Images in 2004.

Vince whilst at Getty Images, has played an integral role in the Michael Och's Archive acquisition, Led Zeppelin Reunion exclusive deal, British Music Experience deal, the acquisition of Pump Audio and the recent Premium Playlist launch on www.gettyimages.com. He has continued to add more catalogues to Getty Images music with the additions of Elias Music, Ah2music and Lady's Gaga's managements's Atom Factory Music. Has been involved with the Rovi, Gracenote, Google and Vevo image/music deals and delivered our latest partnership deal with SoundCloud.

Getty Images is a leading creator and distributor of still imagery, video, music and other premium content. The goal is to inspire communicators - and give them the tools to create inspiring work of their own.

ADRIAN LEPPARD

Adrian Leppard joined Surrey Police in 1984 and has spent the majority of his service as a Detective, investigating a broad range of criminality with specialist expertise in hostage negotiation, intelligence, covert operations, firearms and counter terrorism command. As a Senior Investigating Officer he has investigated complex and serious crimes including contract killings and the world's largest cash robbery of £53m.

He completed a Masters Degree in Business and Administration with City University in 2000.

He served five years in Kent Police where, as a Chief Officer, he held responsibility for Specialist Operations including Serious Crime, Community and Road Safety, Counter Terrorism, and Public Protection. These remain key priorities for the City of London Police providing services as it does for a busy square mile comprising of businesses, residents and over 350,000 daily commutes.

Since taking up his post as Commissioner of Police for the City of London in January 2011, Adrian has been heading up the country's lead force in economic crime. In addition to policing the historic and financial centre of London, the force hosts the UK National Fraud (and Cyber) Intelligence Bureau, an International Fraud Academy and a two hundred strong specialist Economic Crime Directorate that investigates the most serious fraud and Cyber crime affecting the UK.

The City of London Police supports the Governments Economic Crime Command within the National Crime Agency and plays a significant role in reducing the threat of fraud to the UK. Commissioner Leppard has given evidence to the UK Governments Home Affairs Select Committee on the threat of Cyber crime and is a regular speaker at public and private Fraud Forums.

Outside of work Adrian's passion is paragliding which takes him around the world. In 2012 he was one of a group of Pilots who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in an attempt to fly from the summit whilst raising a million dollars for charity.

He was awarded the Queens Police Medal in the 2012 New Year's Honours List.

Mike Weatherley

Mike is the Intellectual Property Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Conservative representative for Hove and Portslade. An industry expert in Intellectual Property issues, Mike has used his extensive knowledge of creative industries in Parliament to support UK talent.

Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Mike has worked for both the music and film industries. Most recently, Mike was the Vice President (Europe) for the Motion Picture Licensing Company. Given Mike's extensive experience in IP, last year the Prime Minister appointed Mike as his Intellectual Property Adviser. In his role, Mike has focused strongly on enforcement.

Mike is the founder of the Rock the House initiative in Parliament. Rock the House, Parliament's largest competition, promotes the importance of live music and IP. Through the completion, Members of Parliament have the opportunity to engage with an atypical demographic.

Mike's core strategy in addressing IP enforcement has been: Education, Carrot and Stick. Leading on from this, and in conjunction with the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) Mike has been pushing a 'Follow the Money' campaign, which focuses on removing advertising from websites that host illegal material.

Nick Stringer

Nick joined IAB UK – the industry body for digital advertising - as its first Head of Regulatory Affairs in April 2008. He leads the sector, both in the UK and at EU level, in working for the optimal policy environment for digital advertising, in particular on privacy and copyright issues, and helping to boost the understanding of digital advertising and its benefits within regulatory and political circles.

Nick led the work to publish UK cross-industry good practice to minimize the risk of ad misplacement in December 2013. In addition to this, IAB UK has been working with the Police IP Crime Unit (PIPCU) to help reduce brand advertising on digital properties that infringe copyright. Nick has also spearheaded industry initiatives at EU level, including good practice for online behavioural advertising to provide consumers with greater transparency and control over data. Nick now chairs of the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA), the body administering this initiative.

Prior to the IAB, Nick worked at Orange, leading public policy issues across both mobile and broadband sectors.

Alun Jones

Alun Jones is Chief of Communication and Advocacy at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime where he is responsible for directing the strategic communications and outreach of the organisation, leading international awareness campaigns on crime, corruption and drugs, managing civil society affairs and all corporate communications and advocacy functions. The UN PSA campaign on counterfeit and organised crime is the latest and most successful campaign of UNODC - airing on over 30 national and international TV stations globally and reaching millions of people worldwide.

Prior to joining the UN, he worked for 15 years in various European Union institutions, including the European Parliament and EU specialised Agencies on Food Safety and Occupational Health in senior public information, spokesperson or government relations roles. With over 20 years of experience in communications and public affairs, he started his career as public relations officer at Eurotunnel, one of the largest construction projects in the world. He holds a Master's in European Law (studied in French), a first degree in Politics and Languages and also speaks French, Spanish, Italian and German.

Despina SPANOU

Since 2013, Despina Spanou has been the Director for Consumer Affairs at the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers. Previously she served as Principal Adviser the Directorate-General where since 2010 she was responsible for reshaping the DG's communication department and policy. She was also responsible for the EU's nutrition and alcohol strategies and in this capacity chaired the Alcohol and Health Forum as well as the Platform for action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health and the High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical activity. She represents the health and consumer portfolio as Sherpa at the High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain.

She was previously the Deputy Head of Cabinet for the European Commissioners for Health Mr. Kyprianou (2004-2008) and Mrs. Vassiliou (2008-2010). During her time at the Cabinet of Health and Consumers, she coordinated food chain issues, including the avian flu crisis in 2006 and EU food trade relations with Russia, biotechnology, food safety and animal health and welfare. She also advised on public health policy files, including action against cancer, and relations with third countries on health issues.

Despina Spanou started her career at the European Commission's Directorate General for Competition after having practised European competition law with the Brussels branch of a US law firm. She is a qualified lawyer and holds a Ph.D in European law from the University of Cambridge.

Commander Stephen Head

The National Police Coordinator manages and coordinates the police response to fraud through setting standards, facilitating joint working and integrating strategies and activities across the counter-fraud community.

As Commander for the Economic Crime Directorate he also has responsibility for supporting ACPO and the Government in setting the national counter-fraud strategy.

His responsibilities include overseeing the investigation of serious and organised economic crime across the City of London, as well as for "Lead-Force" investigations across England and Wales.

He also leads on police investigations of Overseas Corruption and Bribery involving British citizens and companies abroad. He will also govern the newly created Intellectual Property Crime Unit, the first of its kind in the UK. Additionally he has responsibility for the Force's Hostage and Crisis-Management Negotiator cadre and the Force's Emergency Temporary Mortuary response.

Commander Head has 28 years' police service, with his early career spent in the Metropolitan Police Service. Since joining City of London Police he has served as the Head of the Force's Special Branch, the Force Director of Intelligence, the Head of Specialist Crime Operations and the Head of the Economic Crime Directorate. He has previously completed his SIO course with the MPS and his Firearms Silver Commanders Course with Devon and Cornwall Police.

Commander Head is a Cambridge graduate with a Masters degree in Criminology and Police Management completed in 2013. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, as well as the International "Leaders in Counter Terrorism" programme sponsored by Harvard University, USA and St Andrew's University in Scotland.

Commander Head is the current policing lead of the Identity Crime Working Group. He also sits on the CIFAS board. He is also a member of the Economic Crime Agency Network (ECAN), an international network established to find ways of co-operating on economic crime across multiple jurisdictions.

Karen Bradley

Karen Bradley is the Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime in the Home Office and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire Moorlands. She was born in Cheddleton in Staffordshire Moorlands and educated at Buxton Girls' School and Imperial College London, from where she graduated with a BSc in Mathematics.

Karen Bradley contested Manchester Withington at the 2005 general election, coming third. She was selected for Staffordshire Moorlands in July 2006 and was returned to Parliament at the General Election in 2010. Karen was a member of the Select Committee on Work and Pensions and of the Procedure Committee until she was appointed to the Government Whips' Office in September 2012.

Karen is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor and worked in public practice from 1991 to 2004, first for Deloitte & Touche and then for KPMG. In 2004, she became a self-employed fiscal and economic consultant. Karen rejoined KPMG in 2007, where she remained until shortly before her election to the House of Commons.

Steven Pope

Steven spent 25-years with UK Customs undertaking a number of varied roles, including Criminal Investigation, Customs and VAT compliance, and policy development, working closely with the private sector on developing new policies and legislation.

During his career in the public sector, Steven participated in a number of secondments in the UK and overseas, including HM Treasury, where he was responsible for VAT compliance policy and the IMF where he was responsible for advising host Governments on compliance reform. Steven also spent 15 months on secondment to BMW in Munich as part of a post graduate study programme sponsored by the Cabinet Office.

In May 2011 Steven joined DHL Express, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL as Head of Customs & Regulatory Affairs for Europe. His work includes trade compliance and working with national, European and International Government bodies on customs and trade matters.

Steven is a fluent German speaker based in Germany and Brussels where he is engaged in the practical and legal challenges of tackling IPR.

Paul Maier

Paul Maier was born in Strasbourg (France) in 1958. He graduated from the Institute for Political Sciences and the Faculty of Law of Strasbourg and the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium). He worked as counsel for various trade associations and private companies from 1983 to 1987 when he became an EC civil servant in the EC Commission. From 1990 to 1995 he worked in the field of intellectual property law in the Commission. The main fields of activity were the harmonization of laws in copyright (term of protection of copyright and related rights, private copying, Green Paper on Copyright in the information society) and international negotiations (TRIPs, European Economic Area, WIPO Treaty on dispute settlement, bilateral agreements).He joined the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) in May 1995 as chief advisor to the President of the Office.

From 2000 until 2005 he has been responsible for the preparations of OHIM in view of the enlargement of the EU and the coming into force of the Regulation on Community Designs. He was nominated Director of the Designs Department in 2002.He was nominated President of the Boards of Appeal by the Council of Ministers in December 2005 and confirmed for a second mandate in May 2010.

Since January 2013, Paul Maier has been appointed as the new Director of the OHIM Observatory. The new department incorporates not only the EU Observatory on IP infringement, but also the OHIM Academy, the Office's training and knowledge-sharing hub and the service of the Chief economist who is in charge of economic studies.

Senator Yung

Head of the Planning, Budget and RCB Department at C.N.R.S. – French National Research and Science Institute (1973-1978), then General Secretary of INPI – French intellectual property institute (1978-1983).

After two years at Banque Worms as Adviser to the President, and one year as Administrative and Financial Head of QUESTEL-TELESYSTEMES, back to the intellectual property world: Director of General Administration at the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva, 1986-1989) then Director of International cooperation at the European Patent Office (Munich, 1989-2004).

William G. Ross

William Ross is a Unit Chief with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, DC. Mr. Ross is currently responsible for overseeing the Global Outreach and Training Unit at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center in Arlington, VA.

Mr. Ross previously oversaw the Intellectual Property Unit at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. Prior to his assignment to HSI Headquarters, Mr. Ross served for four years as a Section Chief at the ICE Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia. In this role, Mr. Ross was responsible for oversight of the basic training program of all HSI Special Agents. Additionally, Mr. Ross developed and supervised the advanced commercial fraud training programs.

Mr. Ross began his career as a US Customs Service Special Agent. Mr. Ross served as a special agent for twenty years in the SAC Atlanta area. Mr. Ross conducted numerous criminal investigations involving intellectual property, commercial fraud, money laundering, narcotics smuggling, counter-proliferation and anti-terrorism. In addition to other awards, Mr. Ross has won the Commissioner of Customs, Unit Citation Award and the ICE Director's, Excellence in Law Enforcement Award.

Giles York

As T/Chief Constable (T/CC), Giles York engages closely with the Police and Crime Commissioner and leads the Chief Officer team for Sussex Police.

Giles is married with three children and he started his service with Kent Police in 1990. Giles went on to serve as the Area Commander of Medway and then Head of Special Branch within Kent Police. He had responsibility for the policing of the Channel Tunnel, the Kent ports and worked in the office of the National Co-ordinator of Special Branch.

Giles was appointed as Assistant Chief Constable with South Wales Police in 2005, where he was the lead for Counter Terrorism and Serious and Organised Crime. He was also the Gold Commander for several significant force and regional operations, including environmental protests involving a number of forces.

Giles was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in Sussex Police in 2008. He is Programme Director for Serving Sussex 2015, the Force's change programme, which looks at ways of modernising the Force to improve the service for the public whilst making £50 million worth of savings. Giles is the force lead for Diversity and in this role he has established a network of force champions who lead internally and externally for different aspects of diversity. Giles's work with the diversity champions has led to Sussex Police regularly being in the Stonewall top 100 employers. He is the national police lead for the High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS), Fast Track and Direct Entry, Intellectual Property Crime and National Analysts, and Digital First. Giles also chairs the Niche Development Board which seeks to deliver the opportunity for forces to operate from a single, cloud based platform.

Kieron Sharp

Kieron joined FACT in November 2006, following a distinguished 30 year career with the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police, including a four year secondment to Interpol as Head of the Economic Crime Department, and culminating in the position of Detective Chief Superintendent in charge of Specialist Crime Operations in the City.

FACT works to protect the copyright of its members in the audio-visual, sports rights and related industries and Kieron has overseen the development and strengthening of its investigative, intelligence and analytical capabilities, along with enhanced engagement with national, regional and international law enforcement agencies.

Kieron is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Trine Dancygier

Trine is an educated lawyer from Aarhus University, Denmark. From 1999-2004 she worked as legal advisor to the management of customs in Copenhagen and the Danish Ministry of Taxation, where she got experience from both the practical side of customs work but also the political and strategic side as the representative in Council meetings within EU. In the same period Trine was teaching on both internal and external courses – internally in basic law related to customs control and externally for the Danish Shipping Association on their diploma education on shipping regarding customs legislation. In 2004 Trine was appointed head of the Danish National Task Force Counterfeiting who coordinates the customs enforcement of IPR at the Danish borders. During this time Trine represented Danish customs at meetings regarding IPR related issues in EU, WCO, EUROPOL and as a speaker on several international conferences/seminars. In 2007, as representative from customs, Trine took part in a working group established by the Danish government which led to changes in legislation and the establishment of a permanent ministerial network. Since 2013 Trine has been the Global Customs Engagement Manager at HP with the responsibility to ensure proactive engagement and cooperation with customs globally in order to combat counterfeiting and piracy.

Michael Ellis

Having previously served with the Metropolitan Police for 20 years based in London, as a Detective attached to Scotland Yard, Michael Ellis has been engaged in anti counterfeit enforcement for 15 years.

He is currently the Head of the INTERPOL Traffic in Illicit Goods and Counterfeit Sub Crime Bureau.

His core responsibilities are to manage and coordinate the INTERPOL global strategy to fight against this criminal activity, and he leads the International efforts in this area.

He has also extensive experience working in the private sector, and prior to joining INTERPOL was the Global Head of Brand Protection for a leading skincare company, based in Germany.

He has also worked for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) where he was the European Regional Head of enforcement.

Michael has a Master's degree in Social Science, where he researched the extensive links between of organised crime and illicit trade and counterfeiting.

Wil Van Gemert

Mr van Gemert was born in 1960. After secondary school he first attended an institute of technology (subject: urban planning) and subsequently the Dutch Police Academy. He started his career with the Amsterdam police force, where he filled several positions in basic policing, policy support and from 1991 particularly financial investigation and combating fraud. He also headed a unit of the Special Duty Police (responsible for maintaining public order and fighting riots). During his career with the Amsterdam police he graduated in organisation management and policy advice at the University of Amsterdam.

In 1995 he was appointed Head of the National Investigation Team of the National Police Agency (KLPD), a new multi-disciplinary team focused on combating organised crime by means of financial investigation. In 1999 he was appointed Project Leader of a new Criminal Investigation Branch and tasked with restructuring criminal investigation within the KLPD. In 2001 he became Project Leader responsible for the reorganisation of the KLPD into an agency with 12 operational services and 4 support services. This restructuring was implemented in 2002.

On 1 March 2001 Mr van Gemert became a member of the KLPD's management team as Director Criminal Investigation. In this capacity, he was, in addition to general subjects, specifically responsible for the criminal investigation services of the KLPD. Mr van Gemert had a staff of about 1500 people. In 2003 he led a project for integrating the National Criminal Investigation Agency within the KLPD. Mr van Gemert also filled various positions in international organisations and cooperative groups like INTERPOL and Europol.

Mr van Gemert switched in 2004 to the Dutch National Intelligence Service and was appointed as Director National Security at the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). The directorate of National Security focuses on the combat of terrorism, violent and politically motivated activism, anti-integration tendencies and the so-called CT Info box.

On 12 January 2012, he was appointed Director Cyber Security. In this function he was, among other topics, responsible for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) that became operational on 1 January 2012. The NCSC cooperates in enhancing the defensibility of the Dutch society in the digital domain. The NCSC falls under the responsibility of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security [Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid] (NCTV) of the Ministry of Security and Justice, but its foundations are in public-private cooperation.

On 1 May 2014, Mr van Gemert took up the position of Deputy Director of the Operations Department of Europol, the European Law Enforcement Agency based in The Hague. He is currently managing a Department staffed with nearly 300 experts, specialists and analysts, dealing with serious and organised crime as well as terrorism and cybercrime.

Jean-Charles Bocquet

Jean Charles Bocquet is Director General of ECPA (European Crop Protection Association) - the Brussels-based trade association representing the manufacturers of agrochemicals in Europe - since November 2013. Jean- Charles is French; an agronomist with a specialised degree in Crop Protection. He has spent all of his career in the plant protection sector, at first with Roussel Uclaf (Hoeschst subsidiary) and then at DuPont de Nemours in various assignments from technical development, through registration, marketing, sales and management roles. From 2002 to October 2013, as Director General of the French crop protection association (UIPP) he played a significant role in France in many working groups involving various stakeholders with a strong commitment for promotion and defence of the crop protection industry sector, promoting stewardship, sustainable agriculture and openness in communication.

Lord Younger

Read medieval History at the University of St Andrews and Holds an MBA from Henley Management College. He was as a personnel Manager at Coats Patons and as a Human Resource Director of UBS Wealth prior to entering government. He is a member of the Royal Company of Archers, Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland and President of the Highland Society of London.

KUNIO MIKURIYA

Mr. Mikuriya has been Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 1 January 2009. He provides leadership and executive management for the global Customs community's priorities, including developing global Customs instruments, standards, and tools; securing and facilitating global trade; realizing revenues; building Customs-business partnerships; and delivering capacity building in support of Customs reform and modernization. In addition, Mr. Mikuriya is leading efforts in support of implementation of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation.

Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan's Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the Ministry, Mr. Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience and nowledge in Customs, trade, development, budget, and financial policies. He served as Director of Enforcement where he led efforts to fight illicit trade, then as Director of Research and International Affairs paving the way for the conclusion of the first regional trade agreement for Japan, and then as a Counsellor in the Tariff and Customs Bureau. He also served as Director of Salaries and Allowances to coordinate remuneration levels for the entire government workforce, and as the Budget Controller for Foreign Affairs, Official Aid, International Trade and Industry, in the Budget Bureau. In addition, he spent time as a Counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the WTO in Geneva and participated in the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations.

Mr. Mikuriya has a degree in law from the University of Tokyo and a Ph.D in international relations from the University of Kent.

ROBERT C. BARCHIESI

Mr. Barchiesi joined the IACC in 2008. Under his leadership, the organization has experienced a 40% increase in the number of new member companies and a 180% increase in revenue. Prior to his appointment as the IACC President, he served in leadership positions at the Recording Industry Association of America, the New York City Police Department and the U.S. Virgin Islands Office of the Attorney General, and as the Chief of Police in Crystal River, Florida.

Mr. Barchiesi's negotiation of voluntary agreements and strategic partnerships with MasterCard, Visa Europe, Visa International, PayPal, Discover / PULSE / Diners Club, American Express, MoneyGram and Western Union has led to a sea change in online enforcement strategies regarding "rogue websites" and online marketplaces.

Mr. Barchiesi is a frequent keynote speaker at anti-counterfeiting conferences around the world and has appeared on the "Today Show," CNN and other major media outlets. Mr. Barchiesi serves on the editorial panel for the World Intellectual Property Review magazine and is listed in the 137th edition of "Contemporary Authors."

Mr. Barchiesi received his M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama and his B.A. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Antonis Kastrissianakis

He is responsible for the EU customs policy for security and for enforcement of product safety rules and intellectual property rights, as well as for rules of origin and smooth trade flows. He coordinates the customs and taxation aspects in EU external and trade relations and in international organisations such as the World Customs Organisation and the World Trade Organisation.

He joined the European Commission in 1981 and, prior to his current job, was director for employment policy in DG Employment and Social Affairs and head of several units in the Directorates-General Employment, Development, and Regional Policy. He was also a member of the Task Force for Administrative Reform and Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Bruce Millan.

His university background includes Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in Oxford, Law in the Law School of Athens, and Advanced European Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges.

Dara MacGreevy

Dara qualified as a barrister in 1976 and practised law in Ireland until he moved to Brussels in 1995, where he joined the Motion Picture Association (MPA) as Legal Counsel in its EMEA anti-piracy team. In 2000, he was put in charge of the MPA's enforcement operations in over 40 countries across EMEA and led the refocus of local programs and resources from analogue to digital piracy, expanding enforcement efforts against Internet piracy and securing major successes in key markets. After six years at the helm of the film industry's anti-piracy efforts in the region, Dara left to pursue a consultancy role in the IPR protection field and joined the Interactive Software Federa-tion of Europe (ISFE) as its Anti-Piracy Director, where he now leads and coordinates the content protection-related lobbying and public policy work of ISFE and of national video game industry trade associations across Europe.

PROF. ANGELO MARCELLO CARDANI

Born 1949 in Milan. Degree in Economics from Università Bocconi. He completed his studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He had a long academic career, which includes tenure at Università Bocconi from 1985 to 2012. From 1989 to 1995 he was Director General and Board Member of the International Management Institute of St. Petersburg (IMISP). From 1995 to 1999, he served as a member of the Cabinet of Mario Monti, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, Financial Services, and Taxation. Between 1999 and 2004, he served as Deputy Head of Cabinet of Mario Monti, when he was European Commissioner for Competition Policy. He has been Special Advisor of the Chief Competition Economist at DG Competition between 2004 and 2005. Since July 2012 is the new President of the Italian Telecommunications Agency, appointed by Prime Minister Mario Monti. He has authored numerous academic papers on management and economics topics. He is married to Lydia Bombieri since1990 and they have two children, Luisa (1991) and Eduardo (1994).

Zeeger Vink

Zeeger Vink is Intellectual Property Director at the Maus Frères group, comprising the global fashion & lifestyle brands LACOSTE, GANT and AIGLE.

Previously Zeeger was IP counsel at L'OREAL, in charge of global IP protection of several luxury fragrance brands. He started his career as IP attorney practicing in Amsterdam and London.

Zeeger holds a master's degree in law from the University of Amsterdam with specialisations in IP law and marketing. He teaches IP law at the Institute of Political Studies (SciencesPo) in Paris.

Kerstin JORNA

Kerstin Jorna is a German national. She joined the European Commission in 1990 as a civil servant.

During the last 20 years Kerstin held various positions in the Internal Market Directorate, amongst others as assistant of the Director General as well as in the Secretariat General as member of the negotiating team for the Nice treaty.

After a stint as Commission's spokeswoman for regional policy and institutional affairs, Kerstin joined successively the cabinets of Michel Barnier, Günther Verheugen and Jacques Barrot.

Kerstin currently holds the position of Director for Intellectual Property Law in the European Commission. She is also member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Intellectual Property System.

Kerstin studied law in Bonn, Hamburg and Bruges. She is married and has four children.

Rosa Wilkinson

Prior to joining IPO, Rosa was with UK Trade and Investment where she held a number of roles including work to market the UK internationally, action to boost the UK's higher education export success, and to ensure that policy makers across Whitehall reflected the needs of exporters and inward investors in their activity.

Until 2009 Rosa was Director of Public Policy and Regulation of one of the UK's largest banks through the white heat of the financial crisis. This role followed a 20 year civil service career encompassing roles leading enterprise and manufacturing policy, stimulating change in approaches to public procurement, implementing legislation within the energy sector and shaping European policy issues. Her civil service career began with a focus on delivery of services for the unemployed.

Outside IPO, Rosa is a Trustee of the Whitehall and Industry Group, a not-for-profit organisation which operates to build understanding and co-operation between government and business. She also retains an involvement in her family's industrial property business in Yorkshire.

MARGARETE HOFMANN

Education: Lawyer (Germany), Romance languages

Professional career:
1983 – 1986: Legal post-graduate training (Germany, France – Paris)
1987: entered Bavarian judiciary (public prosecutor)
1987 – 1992: German Federal Ministry of Justice, Bonn: Adviser, Commercial and Economic Law Department and Public Law Department
1992 – 1996: German Permanent Representation to the EU, Brussels: Justice Counsellor
1997 – 1999: German Federal Ministry of Justice, Bonn and Berlin: Head of Unit Coordination of European Affairs
1999 – 2004: European Commission, Brussels: Member of Cabinet of Commissioner Schreyer, responsible for EU budget, budget discharge, audit and anti-fraud
11/2004: joined the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Brussels
2005 – 2006: OLAF, (Acting) Head of Unit Training Coordination; Inter-Institutional Relations
2006 – 2012: OLAF, Head of Unit Inter-Institutional and External Relations (acting until 2008
) Since July 2012: OLAF Director Policy

Eric WALTER

Appointed on 1 March 2010 by Hadopi's chairwoman, Éric Walter has dedicated his working life to developing innovative projects.

Self-educated, he began his career in the cultural private sector, and went on to devote his attention to international trading.

In 1995 in the public sector, he was appointed as attaché to the office of the Minister of culture and communication, where he oversaw the implementation of the Heritage Foundation.

In 2002, he was appointed head of the office for economic assessments and information society within the Media Development Department (Prime Minister's office), where he notably coordinated the project for a national spam signalling platform, "Signal Spam", and oversaw the preparation of two Inter-ministerial Committees for the Information Society (CISI, Comités Interministériels pour la Société de l'Information).

In 2006, he was appointed Attaché for the Information Society to the Office of the Minister of State, the Interior Minister, subsequently, in 2007, taking charge of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire party's Internet department.

From 2007 to 2009, he worked as an advisor to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, then to the Secretary of State for sport.

While holding these functions, he coordinated the international adoption reform within the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, and subsequently to deter violence and protect children in sport.

ROB WAINWRIGHT

Rob Wainwright was born in 1967 in Carmarthen, Wales, UK.

Having graduated in 1989 from the London School of Economics, University of London with a BSc, he worked in the following ten years as an intelligence analyst in the UK in the fields of counter-terrorism and organised crime.

Between 2000 and 2003, Mr. Wainwright was the Head of the UK Liaison Bureau at Europol, and also responsible for the Europol National Unit in London. The Liaison Bureaux are a key link in Europol's cooperation with the EU member states.

In 2003, he was promoted to the position of Director International of the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), where he was responsible for its international operations and for developing and implementing the UK strategy against facilitated illegal immigration.

Between 2006 and 2009, he was Chief of the International Department of the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). In this leading role, he was overseeing 20,000 law enforcement cases each year as well as establishing the international strategy and operational capabilities of the newly formed agency. His mandate extended from SOCA's international operations and global partnerships to the worldwide network of SOCA liaison officers.

Mr Wainwright was appointed Director of Europol in April 2009. He is also currently an active member of the World Economic Forum, primarily on cyber issues.

Rob Wainwright is married with three children. He speaks English, Welsh and Spanish and his interests include history and literature.

FRANCIS GURRY

Mr. Francis Gurry was appointed Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on October 1, 2008, and the Secretary-General of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) on October 30, 2008. He was reappointed in May 2014 for a second 6 year term of office which runs through to September 2020.

He began his WIPO career in 1985, initially in the Development Cooperation and External Relations Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

He was instrumental in establishing the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center in 1994 and subsequently in developing the highly successful Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.

He served on the WIPO top management team from 1997, initially as Assistant Director General, then from 2003 as Deputy Director General with responsibility for patents and the PCT system, the Arbitration and Mediation Center, traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and genetic resources.

Before joining WIPO, Francis Gurry practiced as an attorney in Australia, and taught law at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He holds law degrees from the University of Melbourne and a Ph.D from the University of Cambridge, UK. He is the author of numerous publications and articles on intellectual property issues in international journals.

An Australian national, Francis Gurry speaks English and French.

EUN-JOO MIN

Ms. Min heads the policy and international cooperation work of this Division, facilitating multilateral dialogue on intellectual property (IP) enforcement and building respect for IP. Prior to her current position, Ms. Min was Head of the Legal Development Section, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center where she covered development and implementation of new alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures, advising on dispute resolution clauses and procedures, development of educational programs on ADR, and management of relations with users of the WIPO ADR services and with relevant organizations.

Ms. Min holds a Ph.D. in law from Yonsei University in Seoul, Republic of Korea, a certificate degree in international law from the Graduate Institute of International Affairs in Geneva, Switzerland, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan Law School, United States of America. Prior to joining WIPO in February 2000, she taught law at Yonsei University.

MARC LICHTENHEIN

Mark is the Chairman of the Sports Rights Owners Coalition (SROC), a forum of some 50 international and national sports bodies and competition organisers with a particular focus on rights issues. SROC seeks proper recognition of the value of sport from Governments across the world, and effective protection for their rights under law.

Mark has worked in the sports industry for over 20 years, when he started to pioneer the transition of golf and other sports into the digital era. For the last 7 years, Mark has been Chief Information Officer for the PGA European Tour and the Ryder Cup as well as the Joint Managing Director of European Tour Productions (ETP), the Tour's Television and New Media production and distribution company, a joint venture with IMG Media.

A software engineer by education, Mark previously held a number of positions in the European software industry with Siemens and the Cap Gemini Group before becoming the first Director of Business Development for the industry-led European Software Institute in Bilbao, Spain, co-funded by the European Commission.

MARIANNE GRANT

Marianne Grant is a Senior Vice President at the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA – an international trade association that represents the interests of major companies that invest in, produce, distribute and market audio-visual content. MPAA is identified in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe as the Motion Picture Association (MPA)*. Marianne joined the organization as an employee in June 2009 after 10 months as a consultant there (via Resources Global Professionals) – and, based in MPAA's Southern California Headquarters, she reports to the association's Chief Technology Officer.

In her dual role at MPAA, Marianne works with fellow senior executives across the world to design and advocate for the association's strategy related to Internet Service Provider (ISP) Outreach activities globally. This mandate includes Graduated Response (GR), notice programs, site blocking and other sites-oriented initiatives (when negotiation and/or implementation requires direct engagement with individual ISPs) – and, when programmes are agreed, she holds responsibility for implementing and operating several which are delivered and managed by MPAA on behalf of its members. In that last respect, Marianne serves on the Board of the Center for Copyright Information (www.copyrightinformation.org) – an entity formed to support the United States (US) Copyright Alert Program (CAS). CAS, a ground-breaking voluntary, GR programme, was launched in early 2013 with participation from the 5 largest ISPs in the US, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and its members, the MPAA and its members as well as representatives of the independent film and music sectors represented by their respective Trade Associations IFTA and A2IM.

Alongside her responsibilities for global ISP Outreach, Marianne also leads the group which delivers all aspects of the MPAA's global Information Technology (IT) functions - including network and other i nfrastructure components as well as the implementation and technical management of all business-specific applications, systems and websites that are used internally and/or which are accessed by authorized member company representatives, other third parties and members of the general public.

Prior to joining the MPAA, Marianne held several significant management, information technology and business development positions in the United Kingdom and United States. These include a number of consulting and program management roles at Syncata (a Los Angeles-based IT consulting company) and Snap-on Business Solutions - during which period she became an internationally recognized advisor to vehicle and automotive parts manufacturers and their Trade Associations on the requirements of the US TREAD Act. This followed several years in corporate IT management roles at the Los Angeles Times in California and the London Evening Standard, Daily Mail and their parent Associated Newspaper Group in London.

CAROLINE EDERY

Head of the Unit "Protection of citizens and enforcement of IPR" in the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission, since November 2009. Previous professional experience includes working as a Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Kovács (2004-2009), in charge of Customs policy, trade, development and agriculture. Desk officer in the Directorate-General for Environment, in charge of Trade and Environment issues (2001-2004), following six years at the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union in the Unit responsible for Rules of Origin.

Education : Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies in Comparative Political Science (France) and one-year training at the Ecole Nationale des Douanes in France.

BILL WILLIAMSON

Bill was appointed Director UK Customs in April 2013 and is responsible for UK Customs policy, systems, procedures and legislation, compilation and dissemination of the UK's trade statistics and international relations. UK Customs collects over £34 billion a year; keeps around £700 billion of imports and exports moving, and has around 190,000 business customers. Bill is currently Vice Chair of the WCO Finance Committee. Bill joined HM Customs & Excise as an administrative officer in 1986. As well as Customs, his career has seen him work extensively in VAT, business change, strategy and planning, legal services, finance and intelligence. Prior to being appointed as Director UK Customs, Bill held the positions of Director Excise & Environmental Taxes, Deputy Director UK Customs and Portfolio Director of the UK's customs and border IT systems modernisation programme.

Liz Bales

Liz Bales has led the activities of the Industry Trust for IP Awareness, a dedicated consumer education and awareness body representing the interests of the UK's film, TV and Video industry for the last six years. The organisation seeks to promote the value of copyright in the production of audio visual content and encourage consumers to make safe, legal choices when they watch film, TV or Video.

Liz has overall responsibility for the development, implementation and performance of the Trust's education programmes. These are directed to a range of audiences spanning youth, parents and the UK's core film audience of 16 – 34 year olds where the executions range from integrated multi-media campaigns Moments Worth Paying For to social communities Screenthing. Independent evaluation of the Trust's work illustrates a consistently high level of audience engagement and influence, ensuring that education is playing a material role in the sector's strategy to tackle copyright infringement and, that the industry investment is effectively channelled. Liz is well versed in consumer behaviour with particular reference to copyright and its infringement and is a regular spokesperson for the Trust in this area. In leading the organisation Liz's expertise extend to the procurement of funding, financial and operational management and stakeholder/media relationships.

A lawyer by profession with a decade of practise experience, Liz originally focused in the field of Intellectual Property before moving in-house to specialise in content acquisition, distribution and rights management. Liz is an experienced negotiator and strategist.

PAUL POLMAN

Paul Polman has been Chief Executive Officer since 1st January 2009. Under his leadership Unilever has set out an ambitious vision to double its size while reducing its overall environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact.

Paul is Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and serves on the Board of the UN Global Compact. He is also on the Board of the Global Consumer Goods Forum.

At the invitation of the UN Secretary General, he recently served on the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons looking at the Post 2015 Development Agenda and previously acted as co-chairman of the B20 group of companies reporting to the G20 on Food Security. He is a member of the European Resource Efficiency Platform chaired by Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik, and has agreed to serve at the invitation of former Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, on the International Council of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. He was recently asked by the UK Prime Minister to be a British Business Ambassador.

Since 2010, Paul has been a non-executive director of the Dow Chemical Company.

In recognition of his contribution to responsible business, Paul is a former recipient of the Atlantic Council Award for Distinguished Business Leadership and the CK Prahalad Award for Global Sustainability Leadership. Last year he received the World Wildlife Fund Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal. Earlier this year Columbia University's School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) awarded Paul and Unilever their Global Leadership Award for commitment to sustainability and in May 2014 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rainforest Alliance.

Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy has been the Director of the ICC initiative Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) since its creation in 2005. BASCAP unites the global business community across all product sectors in an effort to stop the counterfeiting of goods and piracy of intellectual property. It focuses on setting standards for global performance by governments and companies; framing decisions for policymakers; advocating for the allocation of resources at the highest levels in national governments; and building global awareness.

Mr Hardy joined ICC in 1999 as a policy advisor in the areas of intellectual property, competition, biotechnology, environment, energy and transportation.

Prior to his work with ICC, Mr Hardy held various positions with the U.S. government, from 1985 to 1998.

MATTHEW W BARZUM

Matthew W. Barzun was selected by President Barack Obama as National Finance Chair for the president's 2012 re-election campaign. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Sweden from 2009 to 2011. Ambassador Barzun is an internet pioneer who was the fourth employee at CNET Networks, where he worked from 1993-2004. Ambassador Barzun served in a number of roles at CNET, including Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy officer, and member of the executive committee.

During his time there, he launched Download.Com, which grew to become CNET's biggest site and he led the effort to build one of the first comparison shopping sites on the Internet, Shopper.Com. He went on to co-lead all of CNET's online properties including CNET.Com and News.Com.

After leaving CNET in 2004, Ambassador Barzun has advised and invested in start-up internet companies, including MedTrackAlert, which delivered consumers information about their prescription medications (it was sold to HealthCentral in June 2008), and JiWire, an advertising network for wireless devices.

Ambassador Barzun was among the first to join Barack Obama's National Finance Committee before the President's election in 2008. In that capacity, he produced the first $25 per-person fundraiser and helped teach Obama University for campaign volunteers.

In Kentucky, Ambassador Barzun has served on the boards of many non-profits with a focus on education (the Louisville Free Public Library Foundation, Louisville Public Media, and Teach Kentucky); public policy (the Kentucky Long Term Policy Research Center, and The Greater Louisville Project) and interfaith relations (Center for Interfaith Relations).

STEVEN JETER

STEVEN JETER's background includes 25-years of intelligence planning and operations. As the Director of Central Security and Investigations for Infineon Technologies, Steven founded, chaired and now serves as Vice Chairman of the European Semiconductor Industry Association's (ESIA) Anti-Counterfeiting Committee. In this role, he coordinated the ESIA's involvement in the first joint US-EU customs border operation targeting semiconductor products. Steven's work includes advising national, European and international institutions. His activities over the past eight years directly contributed to the global awareness of the extreme dangers of counterfeit semiconductor products. Steven holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Business Administration from the European University.

HEINZ ZOUREK

Mr Zourek is of Austrian nationality and graduated as economist from the University of Vienna. He was appointed Director General of DG TAXUD in January 2012, having previously held posts in DG Enterprise (being named DG in 2005 after holding the post as deputy and acting DG since 2001) and as Deputy DG of Internal Market (1995-2001), where he was responsible for coordinating the free movement of goods and services package.

Mr Zourek has a particular interest and in-depth knowledge and understanding of issues relating to IP Rights.

SIMONA VICARI

Simona Vicari was born in Palermo in 1967.

She graduated in Architecture at the University of Palermo.

She is married and has two daughters.

In 1990 she was elected in Palermo's City Council and in 1991 she became the youngest City Counselor in Italy.

In 1993 she was reelected in Palermo's City Council and Forza Italia's Head of Group.

In 1996 she was elected at the Sicilian Regional Assembly, the only women out of 90 MPs.

In 1997 she was elected Major of Cefalù, she held the office for two mandate, until 2007.

In 2001 she was elected again at the Sicilian Regional Assembly.

In 2008 she was elected Senator of the Republic in the PDL Sicily's list. Elected Secretary of the Presidency of the Senate. President of the Energy Efficiency Committee.

In 2012 she became Regional Counselor in Palermo's Province.

In 2013 reelected Senator of the Republic in the PDL Sicily's list. Vice President of PDL Group in the Senate. In the same year she was nominated Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economic Development in Enrico Letta's Government.

On November 16, 2013 she joined the newly formed Nuovo Centro Destra guided by Angelino Alfano.

On February 28, 2014 she was confirmed in office as Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economic Development in Matteo Renzi's Government.