CITMA Spring Conference 2025 Connect, learn and grow even more

Thursday 20^th March 2025

[The Spring Party will follow the drinks reception. We’ll guide you to the venue as the party is about to begin.]

Friday 21^st March 2025

Ese Akpogheneta, BAT

Ese is a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney and CITMA Council member, currently CITMA Second Vice-President/Treasurer.

Ese has over 25 years' experience in the global IP field and has spent time working in Asia, in particular China and Hong Kong for extended periods of time. 

While in private practice Ese assisted clients ranging from individuals to start-ups to SMEs to multinationals in securing IP protection in various sectors.

Ese joined BAT in 2019 as Trade Mark and Marketing Counsel focusing on advising marketing teams on trade mark issues as well as handling the protection, exploitation, and enforcement of a number of its key global brands.

Ese regularly volunteers at the CITMA and UKIPO free business advice clinics providing advice on brand protection and related topics.  She is also a member of the IP Inclusive management team, chairs the CITMA Education, Qualification and Standards Committee and serves on other CITMA Committees.

Matthew Quigley, nDreams

Matthew Quigley is a CITMA Paralegal with extensive experience working in-house supporting across the legal function with a focus on Intellectual Property. He currently works in-house at nDreams, providing advice and assistance in the video games industry.

Matthew has been an active member on CITMA's AI Taskforce, serving as the group lead on Technological Impact. In his previous role, he also advised on various AI related topics concerning the roll out of AI tools across the business and how the legal team could best leverage those tools.

Azhar Sadique

Azhar is a visionary intellectual property expert, committed to revolutionising the IP industry and championing innovation. With a wealth of experience in trade mark practice and product creation, Azhar has been a key member of advisory boards and Committees within the industry, offering valuable insights and helping to shape the future of IP services.

Leading the way in innovation, Azhar is dedicated to changing the game in IP services, utilising the potential of technology, cryptocurrency, and NFTs to create a smooth, efficient, and client-focused experience. As a respected thought leader, Azhar frequently contributes to the CITMA Review, CIPA Journal and has lectured for various prestigious IP institutions.

Ece Sarica

Ece is a dual qualified (England&Wales and Turkey) lawyer/solicitor working as IP counsel responsible for Europe Operating Unit matters at the Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and the global IP lead of the Juice, Nutrition, Plant-based, Dairy Category (which is one of the 5 categories across TCCC system) & Innocent & Doğadan companies. She has also done a short term assignment supporting legal operations at Innocent in her current role. Her active industry professional memberships include being a co-lead of the Regulatory, Bias, Market Adoption sub-working group of the Digital and AI Taskforce of CITMA.

Before being a specialist in the IP team, she was the general counsel of Turkey region in the operations legal team at TCCC. She became in-house 6 years ago by joining TCCC. Before then, she was in private practice working in international law firms focusing on M&A and transactions.

Educational highlights include studying LL.M. at LSE with full success scholarship granted by the EU, graduating 4-year LL.B. on high honour list by ranking 6th out of 430 graduates of Ankara Faculty of Law, and studying at TED Ankara Private College with success scholarships due to being in a special extracurricular class of high potential students. Social activities include debate clubs, being part of yearbook organisation committee, volunteering work teaching English for the less fortunate.

Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury (Chris Smith)

Master of Pembroke College Cambridge, Chair of the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, former Culture Secretary and former Chairman of the Environment Agency.

Born in 1951, Chris was educated in Edinburgh and then Pembroke College, Cambridge, achieving a double first in English (and later a PhD on Wordsworth and Coleridge) and was also a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard.  

Chris began his political career as a Labour Councillor for Islington Borough, becoming MP for Islington South and Finsbury in 1983.  (The following year he became the first MP in UK history voluntarily to come out as being gay.)  In 1992 he joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Environmental Protection, and two years later moved to Heritage, then Social Security and Health.  When Labour came to power in 1997 he became Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Chairman of the Millennium Commission.  During his four years as Secretary of State he restored free admission to national museums and galleries, established NESTA, the Film Council, Creative Partnerships for schools, and the Foundation for Youth Music, expanded funding for the arts and sport, championed the creative industries for the first time in Government, started funding for Olympic athletes, and began the switchover process for digital television. He returned to the back benches in 2001, played a leading role in opposing the Iraq war, standing down from the Commons in 2005.  Immediately afterwards he was made a life peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords in July 2005. 

In 2003 he became Director of the Clore Leadership Programme, helping to develop the potential of future leaders in the cultural sector; he stepped down in July 2008 to become Chairman of the Environment Agency.  He chaired the Environment Agency from 2008 to 2014;  from 2007 to 2017 he was also Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority.  From 2014 to 2024 he was Chairman of the Art Fund; he was Chairman of Judges for the Man Booker Prize in 2004; and Chairman of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre until 2014. In 2011-12 he led the Review of Film Policy for the Government.  He is also Chair of the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, a Non-Executive Director of PPL, Chair of South Staffs and Cambridge Water, a Board Member of English National Opera, and Honorary President of the Wordsworth Trust.  He has been Master of Pembroke College in Cambridge since October 2015.     

Catherine Wolfe, Partner, Boult Wade Tennant LLP

Dr Catherine Wolfe, Partner, is a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney.

Catherine has a degree from the University of Cambridge in Oriental Studies (Chinese) (1991) and a PhD in Anglo-Saxon Literacy (1994).  Since entering the Trade Mark profession in 1995, she has filed applications in virtually every country in the world which has a Trade Mark Register, and has represented numerous clients from private individuals to major corporations, in ex parte and inter partes hearings at the UK Trade Marks Registry. She has acted for many clients before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and its Boards of Appeal, and has worked on several cases which were appealed to the Court of First Instance (now the General Court). She is often asked to work on commercially sensitive cases for high profile companies and individuals.

Catherine takes an active role in the IP profession and has served as President of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) as well as First Vice President, Second Vice President and Treasurer, since her election to the Council in 2004. Her position at CITMA is now Past President, as well as Vice-Chair of the Law & Practice Committee. She is also currently Co-Chair of the International Committee and Head of the CITMA China desk, and regularly attends meetings of CITMA’s Executive Committee and Council.

Catherine has a particular interest in the adoption of Chinese character marks. Catherine has visited China and Japan on several occasions, including as part of an official UK delegation, to give seminars on UK Trade Mark Law to the national Trade Mark attorney associations in those countries. Catherine has also spoken at the Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA) and at the Association of Singapore Patent Attorneys (ASPA). Alongside her professional work as a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney at Boult, she also lectures on China for the CITMA paralegal course and is a guest lecturer on the trade mark course at Queen Mary University of London where she is an Honorary Professor.

Catherine has been recognised as a leading figure in IP publications, including: as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” in Who’s Who Legal (2024); as a “Global Leader” by The World Trademark Review (WTR) (2024); and as amongst the “50 Most Influential Women in IP” in WIPR (2024). Catherine has also been consistently featured in the top tiers of IP industry rankings including: WTR 1000 (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020); Managing IP’s IP Stars (2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021); Who’s Who Legal, IP (2023, 2021); as Band 1 by Chambers and Partners (2023); as a “Key Attorney” in The Legal 500 (2023); and in the World Intellectual Property Review (2022 and 2020).

Due to its popularity with our members, Spring Conference 2025 is once again taking place at The Waldorf Hilton on Aldwych.

This beautiful early-20^th century venue is a five-minute walk from the Royal Courts of Justice. It features some of London’s best conference facilities, and is a place where tradition and modernity meet.

Following day one’s sessions, we’ll head to our first Spring Party in another of London’s most iconic venues (to be announced).

Your ticket includes:

• Access to all sessions and networking opportunities across 1.5 days of the expanded Spring Conference
• An invitation to CITMA’s first ever Spring Party, including [complimentary drinks] and finger food
• A delicious lunch [with drinks] on day two
• Access to our CSR activities
• Exclusive access to presentation slides

Member rate: £775

Standard rate: £850

Earlybird offer: Book by 20^th February 2025 to save £50

Click here to read our terms and conditions.

If you would like to book a ticket just for the Spring Party on Thursday 20th March, please email [email protected]  

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• Closing date: 5pm, Thursday 13th March.

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