IPReg appoints new Chief Executive Officer
The Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) has appointed Jay Parmar as its new Chief Executive Officer, following an open recruitment process.
Jay Parmar will join IPReg later next month and succeed Fran Gillon, who is retiring on 31st March after more than eight years at the helm.
Jay joins from the Joint Industry Board and Electrotechnical Certification Scheme, where he served as Chief Executive for the last seven years and was responsible for certifying over 175,000 skilled workers.
Across his 30-year career in international leadership, Jay has worked in a variety of industries, including gas, water, automotive and finance. His passion for promoting safety, competence, and employment standards has also led him to being a member of the Industry Competence Committee and Chair for the CSCS Alliance.
IPReg’s Chair, Bill Matthews, welcomed Jay’s appointment, saying, “I am delighted that Jay is to be our new Chief Executive. His impressive leadership skills, demonstrated over a 30-year career in industry and regulation will be a huge asset to IPReg and those we regulate; I am very much looking forward to working with him.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to extend sincere thanks to Fran for her exceptional contribution to our organisation since 2017, and to the wider regulatory world for decades. All of us at IPReg wish her a long, happy and healthy retirement.”
Commenting on his new role, Jay Parmar said, “I am honoured to be joining IPReg at such an important time for the organisation and the wider intellectual property profession. Fran leaves an outstanding legacy, and I want to pay tribute to the leadership, integrity and dedication she has shown throughout her tenure.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the Board, the IPReg team, and our stakeholders to build on the excellent work already underway, supporting a strong, trusted regulatory framework that serves both the profession and the public interest.”
IPReg is the independent regulatory body for patent and trade mark attorneys, which we established in 2010 alongside the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA). It oversees the education and training standards, including the requirements for continuous professional development (CPD), sets and maintains a code of conduct, and handles complaints of professional misconduct across both professions.