Chris Mills

CHRIS MILLS, POLICY DIRECTOR, IPO

Chris is one of two policy directors at the IPO. He is responsible for rights policy (covering Copyright, Patents, Trade Marks and Designs) and enforcement policy and operations (including the IPO’s intelligence function).

Chris is drawn to roles which combine technology, law and politics. Prior to joining the IPO his recent positions have focused on data collection and processing by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, balancing economic interests, security interests, and individual rights such as privacy and access to justice. He has held a range of roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Parliament, and Home Office, including Bill Manager for the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 and Head of Data Policy at the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism. Chris was the UK’s lead negotiator of the 2019 Data Access Agreement between the UK and US. Before joining the Civil Service in 2012, Chris had a career in IT as a systems engineer, project manager, and technical director.