CITMA Summer Seminar – Trade marks in transition

Time	What’s happening	Who’s speaking?
12pm	Registration, networking and light lunch
12.45pm	Welcome and introduction	Keven Bader, CITMA  Kelly Saliger, CITMA
12.50pm	Policy and practice updates from the UK IPO  Hear our speakers cover the hottest topics in policy and practice. Get insider news direct from the IPO.	Charlotte Champion, Head of Trade Marks and Designs Examination, UK IPO  Jeff Lloyd, Head of Trade Marks and Designs Policy, UK IPO
1.25pm	Inside insight: understanding in-house priorities & collaboration  Understand the priorities of in-house teams, and how they best collaborate and nurture relationships with attorneys.	Charlie Bond, Specsavers  Oliva Hamilton, Nestle   Rebecca Piper, Asmodee
2.05pm	Take the opportunity to network over a coffee
2.25pm	Tricky topics and top tips: illuminating insights from an AP  Dr. Brian Whitehead will share his dos and don'ts based on personal experience and insights from fellow APs, along with a discussion on the protection of packaging and what can be registered, including the court’s approach. Brian will go on to offer practical advice on key skills for handling appeals. Including: Differentiating appealable errors from ‘margin calls’ Understanding the required detail for appeal grounds and skeletons Navigating late amendments to add new grounds Admin essentials: hearing and decision timelines Addressing unmeritorious appeals on costs	Dr Brian Whitehead, HLK and Appointed Person (AP)
3.00pm	The future of bad faith  Simon, a bad faith expert, will reveal the latest legal perspectives on bad faith in trade marks.  Hear expert analysis of recent case law and emerging trends – including the impact of the SkyKick decision.	Simon Malynicz KC, Hogarth Chambers
3.35pm	Another opportunity to network over a coffee
3:55pm	What lies ahead? Upcoming opportunities and challenges for the IP profession, a discussion  Gain insights around navigating the evolving landscape of IP practice.  Our expert panel will explore the future of IP, focusing on opportunities and challenges in trade mark law.   AI, trade mark filing trends, regulatory issues, the shifting roles of attorneys from legal specialists to commercial advisors – our panel will share informed views.    The session will also feature diversity, inclusion, ESG awareness, and the judiciary’s funding challenges.	Ese Akpogheneta, BAT Charlotte Champion and Jeff Lloyd, UK IPO  Simon Malynicz KC, Hogarth Chambers Dr Brian Whitehead, HLK and Appointed Person (AP)  Chair: Kelly Saliger, CITMA President
4.35pm	Closing comments
4.40pm	Drinks reception

Book before 14th May for special early bird prices. Whether you’re a CITMA member or not, save £30 on the full price. 

Your ticket includes: 

• Access to all sessions and networking opportunities  

• Light lunch on arrival, refreshments during breaks, and networking drinks at the end of our time together 

• Exclusive access to presentation slides 

Rates:

Earlybird, if you book before 14th May 2025:

• Member: £210
• Standard: £240
   
• Full member rate: £240 
• Full standard: £270 

We’re delighted that Walker Morris, the UK’s largest, single-site law firm outside London, will host our inaugural Summer Seminar.  

Located just a short walk from Leeds City Station, the venue is easy to reach – with high-speed rail connections from most major UK cities.  

Ese Akpogheneta, BAT 

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

With over 25 years’ experience in the global IP field, Ese joined BAT in 2019 as Trade Mark and Marketing Counsel. She focuses on advising marketing teams on trade mark issues, as well as handling the protection, exploitation and enforcement of global brands. 

Ese regularly volunteers at CITMA and UK IPO free business advice clinics, providing advice on brand protection and more. She’s also a member of the IP Inclusive management team, chairs the CITMA Education, Qualification and Standards Committee, and serves on other CITMA committees. 

Charlie Bond, Specsavers 

Charlie is the Head of Legal for IP, Brand and Sponsorship at Specsavers. He spent ten years working in private practice, specialising in all things brand and IP, before making the jump to in-house in 2024. Charlie heads a team that manages the Specsavers trade mark portfolio, whilst also working closely with the marketing and creative functions of the business to ensure all consumer facing output is supported by the necessary contracts and goes through the legal clearance process.

Charlotte Campion, UK IPO 

Charlotte is one of the Heads of Trade Marks and Designs in the IPO’s examination area. She oversees eight examination teams and has overall responsibility for training, development and quality in the business area.  

Charlotte joined the IPO in 2007 as a trade mark examiner. From 2011, she spent five years on secondment to the EU IPO. On her return, she worked in Trade Marks and Designs Policy, and spent some time as a senior hearing officer in the Tribunal, before returning to the examination area in a leadership role.   

Olivia Hamilton, Nestle  

Olivia is trade mark counsel for Nestle UK&I. She supports the UK&I business and global IP team on local IP issues, handling contentious and non-contentious subject matter.  

Olivia also supports the confectionery category and Nestle Group Marketing function on a wider range of legal issues. Before joining Nestle, Olivia was in private practice for around 10 years.  

Jeff Lloyd, UK IPO 

Jeff has worked in the IPO since 2019, firstly working on International and Trade Policy, and then in his current role as Deputy Director for Trade Marks and Designs Policy which he took up in July 2021.  

Jeff leads teams who develop policy and legislation to deliver improvements to the trade marks and designs frameworks. The team also provide expert advice to Ministers, other teams across the IPO and external stakeholders on policy and legal development.  

Jeff is a career civil servant who, prior to joining the IPO, worked in HM Courts and Tribunal Service, and in the Wales Office. 

Simon Malynicz KC, Hogarth Chambers 

Simon was appointed KC in 2016, and won IP 100’s KC of the Year (IP/ media) in 2022. He has an extensive IP practice, and also handles commercial cases with an IP element. 

Simon appears regularly in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and General Court of the EU. He also appears in or advises on proceedings before the UK IPO and EU IPO.  

Rebecca Piper, Asmodee 

Rebecca is UK General Counsel & DPO for Asmodee, a global publisher and distributor of board games, trading card games and puzzles.  She moved inhouse in 2021 after over 15 years in private practice specialising in contentious and non-contentious IP.    

Rebecca manages all legal matters relating to UK operations, as well as being part of a global legal team working on multi-jurisdiction M&A, counterfeit prevention and licensing/co-branding for consumer products, interactive games and marketing activations.  Key brands include DOBBLE, TICKET TO RIDE, CATAN, AZUL and SPLENDOR.

Rebecca also serves as a member of the PR & Public Affairs Committee for the games industry’s trade body, the British Toy & Hobby Association.

Kelly Saliger, CMS 

A dual-qualified Chartered Trade Mark Attorney and Solicitor, Kelly has a wealth of experience advising brand owners on all matters relating to trade mark and design portfolios. 

Kelly has over 10 years’ experience in the field, and specialises in international litigation, enforcement and strategy – particularly in the field of technology and media. She has acted before the Appointed Person and led multi-territorial prosecution and litigation.  

Kelly was elected as CITMA’s President in April last year, and chairs our Education, Qualifications and Standards Committee. 

Dr Brian Whitehead, HLK and Appointed Person

Brian focuses on IP law issues in the technology sectors, particularly patent litigation and breach of confidence/trade secret actions (including in respect of ex-employees). 

He holds a number of part-time judicial positions, including: 

Appointed Person for Trade Marks and Designs, in which he hears appeals from decisions of hearing offices in the UK Intellectual Property Office; Recorder (Criminal) – a part-time Circuit Judge-level role in the Crown Court; and Deputy District Judge, for which he has authorisation to hear civil, family and Business and Property Court matters, including in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. 

• Payment online via debit or credit card only; proforma invoices are not available.
• Full terms and conditions apply.
• Closing date: 5pm, Monday 2nd June