IP for Growth
Please note that this is an invitation only event and that we will not be able to accommodate additional guests
Innovation-driven sectors are central to delivering higher productivity, competitiveness, high-value jobs and, finally, economic growth. IP sits at the heart of this ambition.
This event explores the essential role of IP as a strategic instrument for growth. Bringing together private sector and policymakers from both countries, it will examine how a modern IP framework can accelerate R&D investment and create growth in innovation led high income countries like Switzerland and the UK.
*The event will be held under the Chatham House Rule
5.00 PM: Registration
5:20 PM: Opening Remarks by Deputy Head of Mission Alberto Groff
5:30 PM: Panel discussion
Dr. Hansueli Stamm, Chief Economist, Swiss Federal Institute for Intellectual Property
Dr. Bobby Mukherjee CPA, EPA, Chief Counsel – Intellectual Property & Technology Law External Engagement, BAE Systems plc
Dr. Sarah Vaughan, Senior Patent Attorney, Rolls-Royce and President of the IP Federation
Dr. Thomas Winkler, Head of IP Policy, Senior Patent Attorney, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG
Moderated by Caroline Hug, Trade Reporter at POLITICO Europe
6:40 PM: Networking Reception
8:00 PM: End
Meet the Speakers
Dr Hansueli Stamm is the Chief Economist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). He studied at the University of Basel, graduated as an economist and certified teacher of commercial subjects, and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Freiburg im Breisgau. From 1999 to 2006 he worked as a member of the economic think tank of the executive board of Novartis in Basel. After two years of managing the teaching activities of the Economics Department of the Fernfachhochschule Schweiz, he joined the IPI in 2008. In addition to his duties at the IPI, he teaches at different institutions, and had a lectureship in “Law and Economics of Intellectual Property” at the University of St. Gallen for more than 10 years.
Dr Bobby Mukherjee is the Chief Counsel, IP & Technology Law External Engagement at BAE Systems plc. He holds a D.Phil. in High-Temperature Superconductors from Oxford University and a first degree in Natural Sciences (Physics) from Cambridge University. He is a qualified UK and European Patent Attorney with over 30 years of experience in IP. Following his term as President of the IP Federation (2012–2014), during which he contributed to the passage of the UK IP Act 2014, he has continued to play an active role in industry engagement. He also served as Immediate Past President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and has been a member of the CIPA Council, chairing the Internal Governance Committee. Bobby has been recognised as a Corporate IP Star by Managing Intellectual Property since 2015, received the Legal 500 UK Individual of the Year 2019 for IP, and has been listed in the IAM Strategy 300: World’s Leading IP Strategists from 2022–2025. In his current role, he leads external engagement on IP and technology law and represents BAE Systems in national and international forums.
Dr Sarah Vaughan is a Senior Patent Attorney at Rolls-Royce and is a qualified Chartered (UK) and European Patent Attorney, a UPC Representative, and a Chartered Engineer. Sarah has practical experience of drafting and prosecuting patents, EPO opposition proceedings, managing global patent portfolios, and third-party patent risk management. She also takes a keen interest in IP policy and the impact IP frameworks have on innovative industry. Sarah is the current President of the IP Federation and leads the organisation in promoting cost effective, high-quality IP frameworks to support economic growth.
Dr Thomas Winkler is the Head of IP Policy at F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG. He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Hamburg and is a qualified European and Swiss Patent Attorney as well as a German Patent Assessor. Following more than ten years as a Patent Attorney at Roche and an international tenure as Manager of Intellectual Property at Chugai Pharmaceutical in Japan, he assumed his current position in November 2020. In 2021, he further expanded his expertise by earning an Executive Master in International Negotiation and Policy Making from the Graduate Institute Geneva. In his current role, he leads the development and strategic direction of the global IP strategy and represents the company within international pharmaceutical associations.
Caroline Hug is a Trade Reporter at POLITICO Europe, based in London, with a focus on the UK’s post-Brexit trade policy, and its relationships with the U.S., China, and the EU. Since starting her work at POLITICO Europe, she reports on UK, the country’s shifting stance towards China, and the World Trade Organization. Prior to joining POLITICO, Caroline was Chief Reporter at Citywire, where she broke news stories on investment, regulation, and the U.K. financial services industry. A Swiss-Italian, she speaks Italian and French, and is a Master’s graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Exeter.