Ian is an experienced barrister. He was called to the bar in 1975 and is a barrister at Farrar’s Building in London. Ian is a commercial and civil law practitioner with a broad-based practice in commercial litigation and arbitration, employment, professional negligence and professional disciplinary and regulatory work. In the commercial field he has particular expertise I the fields of insurance, sale of goods, product liability, carriage of goods and banking and securities law. Ian also has media law experience, having advised and appeared in High Court defamation proceedings, acting for both claimants and defendants. He has also advised clients in connection with obtaining injunctions to restrain publication of matters protected by the law of confidence and privacy.

Ian has been a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since 1994 and sits as an arbitrator in commercial disputes. He is also an Accredited Mediator.

Clive is an experienced solicitor and arbitrator in intellectual property and media law. He is a Partner at McCarthy Denning. Prior to this, Clive was Special Counsel at Baker Botts law firm, a Partner at Wedlake Bell LLP and at RPC and Denton Hall. He has acted for clients in the Copyright Tribunal, Patents County Court (formerly the Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court), High Court, Court of Appeal, Privy Council, House of Lords and Supreme Court. He has significant experience handling claims for copyright infringement, passing off, defamation, malicious falsehood, breach of confidence and breach of contract. Clive has particular experience in the arbitration of disputes, domestically and internationally, both advising clients and sitting as an arbitrator within the UK, India and Asia. Clive is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Chris is an experienced lawyer with a background in intellectual property, including confidential information, malicious falsehood and defamation. Since 2004, Chris has sat as a part time judge in the First tier Tribunal (Information Rights). The Tribunal decides appeals from decisions on freedom of information by the Information Commissioner. Chris is also a deputy judge of the Upper Tribunal and a member of the National Security Appeals Panel.

In 2003 he accepted a part time position as Consultant to Nottingham Law School at Nottingham Trent University designing and delivering courses on intellectual property and freedom of information for professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys. Prior to this, Chris was a solicitor and then partner in the London office of Norton Rose. He headed the intellectual property team from 1999 to 2003, was a member of the firm’s management committee from 1991 to 1996 and was the firm’s insurance partner for about 12 years. He remained at Norton Rose until 2006, on a part time basis, as the firm’s in house counsel. Chris is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Laurence is an advocate at the Scottish bar and an experienced tribunal judge. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Laurence started his career as a solicitor in 1995 and called to the bar in 2000. He spent five years as part-time legal adviser to a number of national newspapers giving regular pre-publication advice. As an advocate, he has represented both claimants and newspapers in a range of actions based on defamation, privacy and breach of copyright. Laurence has more than five years’ experience as a tribunal judge and has heard and decided cases in both Scotland and London. He completed his accreditation as an arbitrator in London and has been admitted as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Leah is an accredited mediator and entrepreneur. She was called to the Bar in 2011, and has been a practicing solicitor since 2015. Leah is also the founder and CEO of Broadstairs Consulting Ltd. Leah became an accredited mediator after training with the Society of Mediators having been at the coalface of challenging board situations during her career as an in-house general counsel and company secretary. Leah is a member of the Society of Mediators’ faculty. She sits on the Mediation Panel at Canterbury Christ Church University. Leah also runs Thanet Mediation Centre (a Broadstairs Consulting initiative) from The Corner in Ramsgate, primarily serving community, landlord and tenant, construction and planning needs.

Ijeoma is a talented, well-respected Mediator and is a Member of the International Mediation Institute. Also, a member of the Mediation panel of the Court of Arbitration for Arts. Ijeoma is also the Founder of Dispute Resolver, an Alternative Dispute Resolution service provider. Most recently, Ijeoma has worked with the ADR Institute of Canada – ODR QAP to develop dispute avoidance strategies, facilitating discussions and devising processes for projects in the investment fund management, manufacturing and recruitment industries.

Iain is a barrister mediator who has been resolving disputes for nearly 20 years. His background in law and the diplomatic service equip him well to assist parties in their negotiations towards an amicable solution to any dispute. He is a founding editor of the leading legal textbook The Law of Privacy and the Media (OUP). Iain was also a founding Director of Impress and fully supports its aim to regulate its members to the highest ethical standards. Between 2020 – 2022 he served as the Lord Chancellor’s Policy Fellow and established the Dispute Resolution project at the Ministry of Justice to integrate mediation into the civil justice system. He is a member of CEDR’s panel of leading mediators and Fellow of the Civil Mediation Council.

Nadia Burrell is the Head of Project Delivery for Broadstairs Consulting and is an accredited mediator. She works closely with organisations to get to the root of their problems and identify the road to resolution. Nadia is a community volunteer and political activist.

Chris is the former Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board, the overarching independent regulator of the legal sector. He previously held senior posts in central government, regulation  and the private sector, and was for six years a member of the Board of Ombudsman Services. He undertook a major review of the Financial Ombudsman Service with Lord Hunt of Wirral in 2007-08. He is now Chief Executive of the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland and an independent member of the Board of Sheffield Hallam University.

Debrah has worked on behalf of the research sector for over 20 years. As Managing Director of the Market Research Society (MRS), Debrah leads on its standards, policy and public affairs activities, working extensively with government departments and global institutions. Debrah has a wealth of knowledge of ethical Codes, quality standards, guidelines and data protection/GDPR and their enforcement. Debrah is also Chair of the Global Business Research Network (GRBN), Vice-President of the European Research Federation (EFAMRO), a member of the BSI Standards Policy & Strategy Committee.

Laura over 30 years’ experience as a senior leader in education, public and charitable sectors.  She was Global Chief Information Officer for the British Council and for the London School of Economics and Political Science.   Laura was Chair of Charity IT Leaders and is now Governor of a further education college and a Charity Trustee.  She runs her own business for technology leadership and operating model change, Leaderly Consulting.

Brian Pelan, co-founder and editor of VIEWdigital, has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist, including working for the Belfast Telegraph, the Western Mail in Cardiff, and the Examiner group in Cork. His skills include editing, design and features writing. Brian has also lectured on production journalism at the Belfast Metropolitan College and has appeared on radio and TV as a social affairs commentator. He runs regular digital publishing masterclasses.

Ozzie is an accomplished Non-Executive Director (NED) with over 22 years of experience. He specialises in people, culture and transformation, having previously been Head of Innovation and Consultancy at UCL, a Trustee at the Royal National Institute of Blind People and People Director at Otta.

Today, he is the People Leader for venture-backed tech scaleups, across the Europe, North America and Asia and a Trustee at the Tudor Trust a grant-making charitable foundation. He also advises the Mayor of London for Mayoral Appointments as an Independent Panel Member and is a Co-optee on Capital Letters’ Remuneration and Membership Committee. Until 2024, Ozzie was a NED at A2Dominion Housing Group, a residential property group with a social purpose.

In 2003, Ozzie became the youngest ever independent advisor to the Metropolitan Police, going on to advise various organisations, from the London 2012 Games Organising Committee to Business in the Community, where he chaired their National Youth Advisory Panel.

Caro Kriel is CEO of Thomson Foundation, an international not-for-profit that for 60 years has supported journalism in some of the toughest places in the world. An award-winning journalist with two decades of experience leading global teams covering the biggest news stories of the day, Caro joined Thomson in 2021 from CNN where she was Director of Coverage, EMEA. She was previously head of international news at Sky News and held leadership positions at Associated Press (AP), as Europe news director based in London, and as news director for Russia, based in Moscow. She also headed AP’s international video division for six years. Caro is also a trustee of Rukhshana Media, a digital outlet dedicated to telling the stories of women and girls living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Originally from South Africa, Caro lives in north London with her family.

Cordella has over 30 years’ experience as a solicitor and established her own general legal practice in North London in 1990. She has a strong interest in equality and human rights issues and has specialised in family and immigration law for over 25 years. She has been a fee paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal since 2000. Formerly an independent Governor of Staffordshire University, which awarded her an Honorary Doctorate. She is a Chartered Manager and Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. She is a serving Director and founding member of the award winning Black Solicitors Network, was shortlisted as the Law Society Gazette Legal Personality of the Year in the Law Society Excellence Awards 2014 and is a member of the Council of Law Society of England & Wales. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 2021 New Year Honours list for services to the Legal Profession and to Diversity and Education.

Shelina is an author, public speaker and newspaper columnist. She has written for publications such as The Telegraph, The Guardian, the BBC and Campaign Magazine, and is a regular opinion columnist in The National UAE. She works in the advertising and branding industry and has worked with some of the world’s biggest companies such as Coca-Cola, Unilever and Nestle. She sits as an advisor on WPP’s Inclusion Board as well as the Inclusion Board for Ogilvy. She is a globally recognised expert on Muslim consumer trends. She has been named one of the UK’s 100 most powerful Muslim women.

Matt is a senior lecturer in journalism at the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at Cardiff University and former head of the department of journalism, media and performance studies at the University of Northampton. Prior to joining the University of Northampton in 2014, he spent 20 years as a journalist in broadcast and digital media. In 1999, Matt joined ITN from the BBC as a reporter and rose to become deputy editor of the ITV News Channel. He covered stories such as the 9/11 attacks, the Iraq war and the 7/7 suicide bombings. He also executive produced political programmes, including ITV’s coverage of the 2004 American presidential election. In 2006, he moved to The Times to establish the multimedia journalism department before returning to ITN as an executive producer. Matt combines teaching with industry work for international organisations, such as Thomson Reuters and Al Jazeera, and writing a PhD on the impact of social media on political journalism.

Paul has had a 20-year media career which has taken him from a reporter at a local radio station to Deputy Editor of what was then the country’s largest commercial radio news hub, to joining forces with other like-minded news gatherers to set up digital news desk the Bedford Independent, the most widely read publication in their patch. Amongst all this, Paul has also worked on the other side of the news fence, providing PR and Marketing support in the public sector and private sectors such as law, film, music, and education, where he developed a passion and expertise in modern digital news channels including ever evolving and emerging social media platforms. Paul is fiercely passionate about fighting fake news, promoting responsible and accurate journalism, and empowering younger writers of all backgrounds and opinions to become the responsible and ethical journalists of the future.

Dr Gent is an editor, writer, researcher, and Head of Operations at Novara Media, an IMPRESS-regulated independent multimedia outlet which seeks to address the defining issues of the 21st century. He has taught on various topics within digital media, media sociology and journalism ethics, and holds an interdisciplinary PhD from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies at the University of Warwick, for which he studied the workplace politics of algorithmic media. As a writer his work has appeared in a number of outlets both domestically and internationally, and as an academic he has spoken to a wide range of audiences in the UK, Europe and the US. He is currently turning his academic research into a book on the politics of algorithms.

Sulayman is an academic with interdisciplinary research focus on journalism and law. He has been involved in teaching media law, legal foundations, dissertations and professional academic development in several universities including Coventry University and Birmingham City University. His expertise draws on socio-legal studies to media and cultural studies in order to study and research the political economy of journalism. Sulayman holds a BA in Media and Communications (Journalism), LLM in International Human Rights and PhD in Media Law and Journalism. He is also a professional journalist with experience of international contexts across print, broadcast and digital media.

Peter is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Reading, where he specialises in Media Law. Prior to joining Reading in September 2019 he was a practising barrister specialising in privacy, defamation and reputation management, having been Called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 2007. He has also previously held a Senior Lectureship in Law at Aston University. Peter’s research has led to him being invited to join the Information Law and Policy Centre at the University of London’s Institute of Advanced Legal Studies as a Research Associate in May 2018, and in 2020 he was appointed as an Advisor to the University of East London’s Online Harms and Cyber Crime Unit. Since 2020, he has been part of an IMPRESS Advisory Group that has provided guidance on the creation of a new regulatory scheme and, during 2021-22, he will act as the United Kingdom’s National Reporter on ‘Freedom of Speech and the Regulation of Fake News’ for the British Association of Comparative Law.

Shirish is a journalist, researcher and community organiser who’s worked in every major UK broadcast newsroom, as well as The Bureau of Investigative Journalism across a 30 year career in media. He’s currently News Innovation Research Fellow of Media Cymru and the Cardiff University School of Journalism, focusing on more effective, inclusive and equitable storytelling. He served on the Welsh Government’s Expert Panel on a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales, and is a member of its working group on public interest journalism. He is also the founder of Inclusive Journalism Cymru, a network to connect, support and campaign for journalists marginalised or excluded by the industry in Wales.

Pam is a highly regarded commercial business development and strategic consultant to boards. She is an Ambassador for Women on Boards UK and one of Boardroom Advisors’ most experienced Advisors, an organisation that provides part-Time CEOs, exec directors and NEDs internationally. Pam is also a NED on the board of Hendeca, a specialist health and safety provider, a Trustee of The British Ecological Society, sits on an Advisory Board for the charity DEBRA, is a member of the Chairman’s Network, and has contributed to advertising effectiveness textbooks and articles including IPA Advertising Effectiveness Awards.

Richard has had a career in journalism spanning forty years, beginning in the early 1970s at the BBC in Belfast and going on to become the corporation’s controller of editorial policy and deputy chief executive of BBC News. He is a former member of the Ofcom Content Board and chair of its Broadcast Review Committee, and also chaired Article 19, the international freedom of expression charity. For fourteen years he was the Law Society’s freedom of information adjudicator before returning to the BBC as a member of the BBC Trust and chair of its editorial standards committee.

Samuel was instrumental in the growth of UNILAD from a bedroom startup, to senior leadership of the most engaged social publisher in the world within 4 years; organically growing revenue to £12m+ prior to the acquisition by LADBible Group. He was later pivotal in the acquisition and transformation of social first publisher JOE Media. As CEO he significantly increased group revenue and revamped its content offering, growing the following in the process and winning ‘Social Media Team of the Year’ at The Drum Awards for Online Media 2022. Throughout his career, he has positioned himself at the intersection of technology, human behaviour, and culture, exploring the dynamic among these elements and how they perpetually influence and shape one another with the goal of identifying the fundamental product proposition, the way we convey its value, and the effective monetisation of innovative solutions.

Theo Luke has worked at the intersection of Tech and Media for nearly 20 years. He currently leads the International Content Partnerships team at X (formerly Twitter) having previously held management positions at YouTube, The BBC and Syco Entertainment. He started his career as an airborne traffic reporter and helped launch the Queen’s YouTube channel back on Christmas Day 2007.

Debrah has worked on behalf of the research sector for over 20 years. As Managing Director of the Market Research Society (MRS), Debrah leads on its standards, policy and public affairs activities, working extensively with government departments and global institutions. Debrah has a wealth of knowledge of ethical Codes, quality standards, guidelines and data protection/GDPR and their enforcement. Debrah is also Chair of the Global Business Research Network (GRBN), Vice-President of the European Research Federation (EFAMRO), a member of the BSI Standards Policy & Strategy Committee.

Pam is a highly regarded commercial business development and strategic consultant to Boards. She is an Ambassador for Women on Boards UK and an Advisor for of Boardroom Advisors, an organisation that provides part-Time CEOs, MDs, and NEDs internationally.Pam is a Trustee of The British Ecological Society, sits on an Advisory Board for the charity DEBRA, is a member of the Chairman’s Network, and has contributed to advertising effectiveness textbooks and articles including IPA Advertising Effectiveness Awards.

Liam Corcoran has had a career in technology that spans over two decades, during which he has built and grown businesses across different industries and on a global scale. He has held pivotal roles at tech giants like ByteDance and First-Party Data providers like Dynata, which have helped him refine his skills in fostering growth and spearheading innovation. Currently, he is working as a Fractional Executive where he provides strategic guidance to businesses that are just starting out, helping them navigate the complexities of growth and expansion. His expertise lies in identifying potential, nurturing talent, and turning vision into reality. In his entrepreneurial spirit, he established AquireX Ventures, a Private Equity firm that focuses on acquiring and nurturing small to mid-size companies. This venture has allowed him to further expand his expertise in business development and leadership.

Ian is a mediator, facilitator and coach with a background as a barrister in human rights and media law. He began his career as a legal adviser at the Foreign Office representing the UK in international treaty negotiations and in cases before the European Court of Human Rights. Between 2000 and 2017 he was a member of 5RB, the media and information law chambers, where he co-founded the leading textbook Tugendhat and Christie: The Law of Privacy and the Media. He is now an Associate member of 4 -5 Gray’s Inn Square, Chair of the Bar Standards Board Independent Decision-making Body and a Policy Fellow to the Lord Chancellor.

Professor Claire de Than is an award-winning senior legal academic of more than 25 years’ standing, and a Jersey Law Commissioner, currently working on a Criminal Code and on laws relating to open justice. She has over 85 legal publications in total, including 15 books, chapters in leading legal monographs and edited collections, and articles in a variety of leading national and international journals, including the Modern Law Review and the Criminal Law Review. Her publications and reform proposals have been adopted by governments, regulators and professions. Her research fields include media law, criminal law, comparative law of tiny jurisdictions, human rights law and disability law, all of which she also teaches. She has been an expert for the Law Commission of England and Wales on two recent projects, and made many media appearances. She has advised several governments and many organisations on human rights and law reform issues.

Ato Erzan-Essien is a senior lecturer in Journalism at the University of Chester where he teaches law, ethics and research methods and specialises in researching notions of journalistic professionalism. A former editor of The Big Issue in the North magazine, he also worked as a news reporter for the Lancashire Evening Post and held various sub-editor roles at Ananova, The Bury Times and The Bolton Evening News. He lives in Bolton, Lancashire with Leigh his wife of 27 years and their three teenage daughters. In his spare time he is a keen gardener, runner and qualified athletics coach.

Paul Herbert is a practising solicitor of 35 years’ experience, most of which has been in the area of media law. He is well versed in all aspects of the law governing the publication of content, both editorial and advertising. During Paul’s long career he has acted for broadcasters, regulatory bodies, producers, authors, publishers, advertisers, journalists, performers and content platforms. Paul has been involved in several leading media law cases and regulatory investigations. He has lectured extensively in media law subjects to journalists and programme makers and is regular conference speaker on media law subjects.

Rachel Matthews s an academic with a research focus on the form, content and provision of local news and community media. She has written on the history of the local newspaper as a distinct media form and applies the understanding this brings to contemporary news practice. Rachel’s expertise draws on her extensive professional background as a qualified news journalist working across regional and local newspapers. In addition to a National Certificate in Newspaper Journalism, gained in 1991, she holds a BA from the University of East Anglia and doctorate from the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at Cardiff University. Rachel is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and chair of the Local and Community Media Network of the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association. She is currently Associate Head of School for Research in the School and Performing Arts at Coventry University.

Liz Munro is a journalist with over 30 years’ experience in broadcast and print media, and now runs her own consultancy which advises broadcasters and video on demand providers on regulation, ethics and journalism. Her previous roles include Head of Editorial Compliance across BBC English Regions’ 12 television and 39 radio stations. She spent 10 years as an on-screen BBC TV news reporter followed by roles as a TV, radio news programme and documentaries producer and an editorial policy adviser to all programme genres. She specialised in covering criminal trials both at home and abroad including cases in France using her fluent French. As head of editorial compliance she oversaw investigative programmes and advised on the use of undercover filming. After graduating in French and Russian at Keele University she was a graduate editorial trainee at Morgan Grampian and worked as a national news reporter for Pulse, a magazine for general medical practitioners. Among related interests, Liz is also a regular judge in the Royal Television Society television news awards.