One IPO Transformation – what to expect

Sarah Whitehead, IPO

Sarah is the IPO’s Head of Customer Experience. She has worked in IPO for 12 years and has many years of experience working with IP customers and stakeholders in policy roles. She is the voice of the customer in IPO, and leads a team who gather feedback from customers and make sure it is acted on. Sarah and her team are also overseeing user research for One IPO Transformation, which is vital for understanding customer needs for the programme. Sarah’s main interests are food and books though she can often also be found exploring the Welsh countryside.

Andy Bartlett, Deputy CEO and Director of Services Intellectual Property Office

Andy was recently appointed Deputy CEO and Director of Services of the UK Intellectual Property Office, the Executive Agency of UK Government responsible for the intellectual property system in the UK.

In this role, Andy is responsible for all the IPO’s registered rights functions; patents, trade marks and designs, including the associated tribunal and mediation services.  He also has responsibility for Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) services and for delivering the One IPO Transformation Programme.

He has a wealth of leadership experience in various policy, ambassadorial and operational and programme delivery roles within IPO.  Most recently he has been leading the IPO’s Programme to transform the way it delivers services for its customers including the deployment of exponential technologies like AI.  He has had a longstanding role in initiatives to improve the international patent system including substantive patent law harmonisation and work-sharing frameworks such as the Patent Prosecution Highway.

He is a passionate advocate of the need to modernise the IP system to ensure it is optimally effective for encouraging innovation and economic growth & for delivering excellent customer service.

He joined the UK Intellectual Property Office as a patent examiner in 1990 after graduating in Physics from the University of Birmingham.