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Xiaofan is a qualified China Patent Attorney with more than 20 years’ experience in IP. Xiaofan’s practice focuses on both contentious and non-contentious strategic patent portfolio management, including client counselling on patent prosecution, dispute resolution/litigation and commercialisation advice. He has successfully represented international and Chinese clients in patent invalidation, patent infringement and administrative cases in China.

Xiaofan frequently provides clients with opinions on patent validity, patent infringement and freedom-to-operate analysis matters. He also advises on agreements for transferring or licensing patents, non-disclosure agreements/trade secret issues and commercial aspects of patent rights. Xiaofan’s experience and track record in contentious work brings a valuable dimension to the non-contentious patent prosecution and advisory work he undertakes for clients. His technical fields include mechanical engineering and manufacturing, laser imaging and printing/packaging technology, computer science, internet technology, e-commerce, and business methods. Xiaofan has been admitted to practice before the CNIPA since 2006 and is one of the first patent litigators to be officially registered with the Supreme People’s Court in China.

Lucie Jones is the Head of Client Services at EIP and current chair of the CIPA Paralegal Committee. With over 20 years of experience in intellectual property, Lucie has worked in France, Japan, and New Zealand before relocating to the UK in 2012. In her current role, she focuses on client services, overseeing the onboarding of new clients and managing key relationships to ensure a seamless IP protection process. Lucie passed the EPAC in 2022 and the APPC in 2025.

Martyn joined the Siemens IP department in 2005 and in January 2025 was made the vice chair of the CIPA Paralegal Committee. Working in an in-house department, he deals with everything from Invention Disclosures and first filings right through prosecution to oppositions, grants and inventor remuneration. He also regularly leads on projects and assists other IP departments worldwide with training and implementing new processes.

Christina is a Key Account Manager and Patent Administration (PA) expert. She has worked with the EPO since 2003 in different positions and has been a PA expert for 20 years. Since 2015 she is a Key Account Manager and has participated in various projects around the EPO’s Online tools and services.

She has accompanied the roll out of MyEPO to the user community since its launch.

Marianne Privett is a Partner and Patent Attorney at Venner Shipley. Marianne helped start IP Ability in late 2019 and is one of its co-leads. Marianne has personal experience of caring responsibilities and learning disabled people, which has made her aware of the barriers some people face and determined to do what she can to remove those barriers.

George Lucas is a patent attorney at British American Tobacco in London. He was diagnosed at 11 years old with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. He is passionate about EPO oppositions, the importance of neurodiversity, and Dungeons & Dragons.

IT Trainer at Boult Wade Tennant. I am dyslexic and have an autistic 5 year old at home. I am huge Formula 1 fan and I help raise money for charity in my spare time.

Simeon is Communications Lead for the One IPO Transformation Programme. He has worked in public sector communications for 15 years, having previously worked in a variety of comms roles at the Office for National Statistics and UK Statistics Authority. Simeon joined the IPO in 2020 and acts as a key link between IPO developers and customers. In his spare time, Simeon is an avid gamer and a Tae Kwon-do instructor.

Chris is Patent Subject Matter Expert for the One IPO Transformation Programme. This involves working with the development team and the wider IPO to help ensure that the new system meets the IPO’s needs. He has been a patent examiner for over 20 years, working primarily on chemical applications. Outside of work, Chris enjoys watching a wide variety of sports and is a fan of Coventry City.

Donal O’Connell is the founder and Managing Director of Chawton Innovation Services Ltd, a company focused on intellectual property education and training; IP consultancy; and IP solutions & tools.

Donal has delivered a range of IP educational programmes over the years, a mix of basic education as well as masterclasses for a diverse range of clients. His company has also expanded into e-learning offering a comprehensive e-learning solution (bite size videos, short papers and e-quiz modules) for employees e learning.

Donal has completed over two hundred IP related consultancy projects, some narrow scope tactical IP projects and some broad scope strategic IP projects for SMEs, MNEs, IP Law Firms, Financial Services Firms and Universities.

Donal’s company also offers a suite of IP solutions & tools – IP asset registers; trade secret management solutions; IP audit tools; IP risk management solutions; IP & tax tools; and software product or service assessment tools.

Donal graduated from NIHE Limerick (now The University of Limerick) in Ireland in ’85, with a Degree in Electronic Engineering.

He is formerly a VP of R&D and a Director of IP at Nokia.

Donal was an Adjunct Professor and Visiting Researcher at Imperial College Business School in London for several years where he has taught the IP Elective on ‘IP Management’.

He is also a regular speaker at IP conferences and speakers.

Donal’s first book “Inside the Patent Factory” was published by Wiley & Sons in 2008. His second book “Harvesting External Innovation” was published by Gower Publishing in 2011. His third book “Intellectual Property Risk Management” was published by Amazon in 2022. Donal has also contributed as a co-author to some other books in IP. His fourth book on IP, this time focused on trade secrets, is due to be published in late 2025.

Donal has written almost 200 short papers on various aspects of IP some of which have been published in several reputable magazines, web sites and blogs.

Since 2013, Donal has been included into the IAM 300 (the world’s leading IP Strategists) an annual listing of those individuals identified as offering operating companies and other IP owners world-class advice on maximising the value of their intellectual property.

JoAnna Emery joined atai Life Sciences in 2022. Previously, JoAnna was Senior Intellectual Property Paralegal for Cambridge Mechatronics Limited where she was responsible for aiding in the management and growth of the patent portfolio. Prior to that she was the Head of and Director for Pure Ideas Limited where she managed the strategy, P&L, KPIs and intellectual property operations of the firm. She has over 30 years experience in intellectual property in both the US and England. JoAnna holds an Associate and a Bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies from Rivier College.

With over eight years of experience in the legal field, I have worked across both private practice and in-house roles. My career began in commercial law, where I gained a solid foundation in legal processes and client focused service. In recent years, I transitioned in-house and currently serve as a Product IP Formalities Specialist at Jaguar Land Rover. My work focuses on supporting the management of intellectual property protection for one of the world’s most iconic automotive portfolios, ensuring compliance and alignment with business objectives.

This year I was honoured to be elected to the CIPA Paralegal Committee, where I’m proud to contribute to the advancement and recognition of the paralegal profession — a cause I’m passionate about and committed to supporting as my career continues to evolve.

JoAnna Emery joined atai Life Sciences in 2022. Previously, JoAnna was Senior Intellectual Property Paralegal for Cambridge Mechatronics Limited where she was responsible for aiding in the management and growth of the patent portfolio. Prior to that she was the Head of and Director for Pure Ideas Limited where she managed the strategy, P&L, KPIs and intellectual property operations of the firm. She has over 30 years experience in intellectual property in both the US and England. JoAnna holds an Associate and a Bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies from Rivier College.

Ruth joined the IP profession nearly 15 years ago and has been working in private practice throughout. She is currently the Patent Administration Manager for the Engineering team at Haseltine Lake Kempner LLP, managing a team of formalities and support staff. She has experience working with a wide range of clients, managing all stages from filing to grant, as well as handling oppositions, appeals and other transactions, such as assignment recordals. Ruth is in her second year on the CIPA Paralegal Committee, and this will be her third conference as part of the Paralegal conference planning committee.

Emma Norris is a paralegal manager working for Slingsby Partners LLP. With extensive experience overseeing patent prosecution from filing to grant, including post-grant opposition work. She leads a term of client-facing paralegals who manage end to end case handling, coordinating filings and submissions across various patent offices, and ensuing continued high level client service.

In her leadership role, she provides legal and procedural guidance to her team as well as mentoring junior colleagues through their professional development. Alongside this, Emma is part of her firm’s senior leadership team, responsible for reviewing and evolving internal procedures in response to legal and system changes. She plays a key role in delivering tailored training and developing automated reporting solutions to ensure high standards of service and operational efficiency.

Emma is an active contributor to the paralegal community and professional development within the IP field. She became part of CIPA’s IP Paralegal Committee earlier this year and is also part of the team organising the paralegal conference each year. Emma is also part of the working group preparing and delivering the CIPA advanced patent paralegal course.