Controller of Patents, Trade Marks and Designs of the Patents Office in Ireland

James was appointed as Controller of the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland in March 2022.

He first joined the Patents Office in 1991 and worked in various roles for over 15 years. He had a two-year secondment as a national expert with the European Commission upon the establishment of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in 1996. He spent 5 years in the Intellectual Property Unit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment where he was responsible for Trade Marks, Designs and IPR Enforcement policy.

As Controller of the IPOI, James is the Irish representative and Head of Delegation for the EPO Administrative Council, EPO Budget and Finance Committee, WIPO General Assembly, EUIPO Management Board, and he is the current deputy chairperson of the EUIPO Budget Committee.

Prior to his current role, James spent five years as an Adjudication Officer and Mediator with the Workplace Relations Commission based in the southeast of Ireland.

He holds a BA in Public Management; a Bachelor of Laws (LLB); Mastering Senior Public Service Leadership Programme (Roffey Park Institute) and he is a certified mediator.