Claire Wilson is a director at RCW Literary Agency and President of the Association of Authors’ Agents. She was awarded Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2023.

Barbara Hayes is CEO of Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society. Barbara Hayes started her career in direct marketing. Having spent 7 in the US designing and marketing properties, she returned to the UK to work within the International Department of a major multinational HR consultancy. Barabara joined ALCS in 2004, where she focussed initially on HR. She then took over responsibility for Communications and Membership, looking at ways in which ALCS raises its profile amongst the membership, potential members and the public in general and devising successful marketing and membership recruitment strategies.​

John Noble is Director of the Brands Group, a not-for-profit corporate membership organisation that champions brands and provides a collective voice for its members. John is a marketer and, prior to joining the British Brands Group, followed a marketing career in the airline, marketing consultancy, residential property and financial services sectors. Through its activities, the Brands Group is committed to the success of brands in the UK. This includes deepening understanding of their contribution to so many aspects of our daily lives and to their part in the success of the UK economy.

Reema Selhi is Head of Policy and International at DACS, a non-profit organisation that manages artists’ copyright. She advocates on behalf of visual artists to champion their vital contribution to the UK’s creative industries, and on the importance of their IP rights.  She supports DACS policy and public affairs work including the establishment of the APPG for visual arts. Reema regularly speaks on sustainable policies for artists in the UK and internationally. Reema is a UK-qualified lawyer and sits on the Board of a-n, the Artist’s Information Company; is a Trustee of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA); and holds the role of Vice Chair at the Alliance for Intellectual Property.

​Stan McCoy is President and Managing Director of the Motion Picture Association’s EMEA region. Stan works with partners in the region to promote policies that help the region to benefit from the jobs, growth and cultural dividends of a vibrant creative sector. Prominent among those policies is the effective protection of IP rights – a field in which Stan has been a thought leader for more than two decades. Stan joined the MPA in 2014 after previously serving as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for IP and Innovation during the Obama Administration. He earned his degree from DePauw University, then, after a brief career in journalism, earned a law degree from the University of Virginia.

Andrew Yeates represents PPA, the Professional Publishers Association, at meetings of the Alliance. He has worked with the Alliance representing copyright interests since the Alliance was established.

PPA exists to represent, champion and support specialist media businesses. Its members range from large multi-national companies to smaller independent publishers. They cover consumer magazine media to B2B news and data and information providers. Andrew is a Director of the British Copyright Council and had chairs its Copyright and Technology Working Group. He was formerly Head of Rights and Company Secretary of Channel 4 and Director General of the BPI amongst other roles.

Will joined PLS in December 2021 after 6 years working as a researcher in Westminster for Andrew Bingham MP and for former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP. Will’s main responsibilities are to engage with members of both houses in parliament on issues affecting copyright and licensing, to respond to relevant government consultations on behalf of PLS and ensure that PLS and mandating PLS publishers are updated on policy issues. Will represents PLS at various publishing industry and creative industry policy group meetings and is also responsible for the coordination and delivery of PLS’ external relations strategy.

Phil Lewis joined the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG) in 2014 as Policy and Strategy Advisor and became Director General in July 2018. Phil has been engaged in IP enforcement since 2001 when he became the United Kingdom’s senior policy adviser on IP crime. At the UK Intellectual Property Office, he was responsible for creating the UK’s first National IP Crime Strategy. Phil was awarded the Global Anti-Counterfeiting award for individual achievement and the IP Champion Award by the Alliance for IP, for his tireless campaigning against counterfeiting.

Corky Balch is an independent consultant specialising in copyright licensing and managing third-party rights, with particular expertise in contemporary and archive photo and film content, sports and music rights, rights of publicity and rights of privacy, freedom of panorama and property clearances, data licensing and generative AI. He has over twenty-five years experience in the broadcast, commercial and corporate industries’ exploitation of copyright and associated third party rights, from the point of view of both licensor and licensee.

Sophie Jones is Chief Strategy Officer of BP - promoted to the role in January 2023, she served as the BPI’s Director of Public Affairs for nearly three years. Sophie’s role gives the BPI a strategic and co-ordinated focus around its core public-facing and membership activities. Sophie leads the BPI’s strategic, policy and public affairs work and engagement across the recorded music sector aimed at promoting British music at home and globally. This includes work on a range of key music industry matters and issues, such as the reviews into the economics of music streaming and associated work, and the impact of AI on the music industry. 

Kim Bayley is Chief Executive of ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association, whose members include virtually every significant digital service and retailer selling music, video and games in the UK. Kim first joined ERA in 2002 as Director of Development before taking on the top job at the association in 2004. Under her stewardship the organization has transformed itself from its former guise as the British Association of Record Dealers (BARD) into a broad-based trade body whose members include digital services such as Amazon, Sky, Spotify and YouTube, independent record shops and high street specialists such as Sister Ray, Rough Trade, HMV and Game. Kim is also a qualified lawyer and spent almost ten years in investment banking.

Owen Meredith is CEO of the News Media Association (NMA) in 2021. The NMA represents the news media sector across 950 national, regional, and local news brands, campaigning for press freedom and legislation. Owen has over a decade’s experience in the media business and media policy, working at the very top of the industry to help publishers build sustainable business models.​

Julia heads up Policy and Public Affairs at PRS for Music, the UK’s largest Collective Rights Management Organisation, representing over 165,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers across a wide variety of policy issues, including copyright, artificial intelligence, trade, and the future growth of the creative industries. She also sits on the British Copyright Council’s Copyright Technical Working Group and on UK Music’s Policy and Public Affairs Committee.

Dominic is the Head of Policy and Public Affairs for Ukie, the UKs largest trade body for the video games and interactive entertainment sector with over 600 members ranging from multinational platforms and publishers to small independent UK developers. He is responsible for Ukie’s policy development and engagement with policy makers on behalf of the sector which contributes over £6bn to the UK economy. Ukie’s aim is to make the UK the best place in the world to make, sell and play games. Prior to joining Ukie Dominic worked for a public affairs agency where he advised multiple clients in the tech, media, advertising and sports sectors and before that held multiple roles in Parliament and at the Labour Party, where he was adviser to the Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

Dids Macdonald is Chief-Exectuive of ACID and has over 35 years’ experience within the design sector. ACID represents thousands of designers and campaigns for design law reforms. Dids is an Honorary Fellow of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and in 2015 was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the design industry. In 2016 she was admitted to the Design Week Hall of Fame and the first to be awarded the Alliance British IP Day Champion. She is also Vice-Chair of the Alliance for IP.

Liz Bales is the CEO of the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), and the Digital Entertainment Group International (DEGI) working to support the value creation of member companies by harnessing the common goals required for growth of digital entertainment across the UK and international markets. Her background as a commercial lawyer specialising in intellectual property drives the focus of regulatory engagement around the exploitation and protection of IP.  

Kerri Atherton is Head of Public Affairs at the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA), a trade association representing the interests of UK toy manufacturers. Members range from well-known international brands to small family-run businesses that together equate to more than 80% of the UK toy market. Kerri leads the policy and public affairs activities of the BTHA working across all regulatory areas impacting on toy businesses including toy safety, environmental sustainability, ethical manufacturing, responsible marketing, and intellectual property. Kerri has experience engaging with Westminster and Brussels institutions on behalf of BTHA members.

Andy Leyshon is Chief Executive of the FDA (Film Distributors’ Association), the trade body that represents the interests of distribution companies in the UK and Ireland which acquire, market and release films to cinema audiences. Alongside his FDA role, Andy is also a director of Cinema First, the cross-industry body charged with promoting cinemagoing in the UK. With over 25 years’ experience in film distribution, prior to the FDA Andy served as Managing Director of mini-major STX Entertainment, Sales Director for Hollywood major studio Universal Pictures and leading independent operator Momentum Pictures, releasing over 250 films into cinemas.  

Bill Bush is the Premier League's Senior Adviser. Over his 17 years at the PL, he has led areas including IP, public policy, relations with government and the EU, relations with fans, communications and the community programme.  Bill has a wide range of other interests including Chair of the Alliance for Intellectual Property, Member of the National Council of the Arts Council, Board member of the English Touring Opera and a Board member of Civic Future. Bill has worked as a Senior Advisor to the PM (1999-2001) and to the DCMS (2001-2005), and was Head of Research for BBC News until 1999.

Caroline Cummins is Director of Policy & Public Affairs at the Publishers Association, having joined the organisation in 2022. She leads policy development and government engagement on behalf of the association’s academic, consumer and education members and oversees the AI Taskforce and Academic Publishers Council.

Caroline previously held policy, public affairs and communications roles across the creative industries and in Parliament. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Cambridge and master’s degree in political theory from the London School of Economics.