Patents

Victoria Hufton is a European Patent Attorney and a Chartered Patent Attorney. Victoria obtained a Masters degree in Physics from Oxford University and joined the patent profession in 2000, receiving her training within a London-based private practice. She has subsequently worked as an Intellectual Property Manager for Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd with overall responsibility for a portfolio covering all aspects of the R&D output of the European activities before joining Stratagem in April 2008.

Victoria has experience in all aspects of the filing and prosecution of UK, European and International patent applications, together with portfolio management experience gained during her time at Nissan.

Victoria has previously worked in a wide variety of technical areas, including printing sciences; audio equipment; oil and gas products; computer systems; equipment for the cement industry; high throughput screening and genomics automation; and automotive safety systems.

Sian joined Stratagem in 2024 to lead the Chemistry and Lifesciences Patents team, having spent over 25 years working in the patents department at the pharmaceutical company GSK.

Sian is very commercially focused, having extensive experience creating and executing worldwide business-focused IP strategies, including consideration of both patents and regulatory exclusivity and understands the importance of IP as a key aspect of investment decision-making. Sian has supported many transactional corporate activities, including due diligence, collaboration and licencing, acquisition and spinouts and can assist SMEs in preparing patent portfolios for due diligence by larger companies as part of acquisition or licencing opportunities.

At GSK, Sian headed up the European Pharma Patents team, managing attorneys working in Chemistry and Biopharm, and had overall responsibility for the patent portfolio in the respiratory area, covering both developmental and marketed assets.

Sian has a Chemistry degree from the University of York and a Masters in Intellectual Property from Queen Mary University, London.

Annabel joined in 2016 and shares a professional enthusiasm with the Stratagem team for extracting value from IP by devising and delivering commercially-focussed strategies.

Her key client work involves proactive portfolio management, and she has extensive experience conducting IP due diligence, including evaluation for technical development; opportunity mining; and supporting transactional corporate activities, such as acquisition, collaboration work and IP-related contractual matters. Annabel possesses a rare breadth of business and operational exposure, having built her advocacy skills within an in-house generics department, an international law firm, and boutique-scale practices. From a technical perspective, Annabel bridges the chemical, life science, and mechanical fields but specialises in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, enjoying medical/surgical-based innovation particularly.

In her wider role, Annabel often helps drive internal projects to help facilitate the company mantra, especially concerning clear/concise communication, effective social management/internal structure and efficiency measures.

Catherine has an Honours Degree in Biology from Portsmouth University and qualified as a Chartered Patent Attorney in 2005 and a European Patent Attorney in 2006. Before training as a patent attorney, Catherine gained valuable commercial experience in the field of intellectual property licensing and technology transfer.

She started her career working as a Patent Specialist at Unipath Diagnostics, where she was closely involved with a number of high-profile court cases relating to Unipath's 'one-step' diagnostic platform. She then moved to BTG, where she gained valuable experience in all aspects of the technology transfer process, working first for the Medical Device and Diagnostics team before training as a patent attorney with responsibility for Life Science technologies in the field of Oncology. More recently, Catherine spent five years working as a Biotech Patent Attorney at AstraZeneca, gaining extensive experience in intellectual property due diligence and antibody patenting.

Her technology base covers a broad spectrum of life science and medical device technologies, such as antibody and large molecule therapeutics (biologics), vaccines, drug delivery technologies, antibody formulations, diagnostic devices, molecular diagnostics, and medical devices.

After several years of R&D in the surface coatings industry in France and the UK, Nicholas entered the patent profession in 2000. A short period in private practice, working primarily on mechanical inventions and in trade marks practice, was followed by 12 years at a multinational fast-moving consumer goods company supporting their frozen foods, skincare, basic research and ice cream businesses. During that time, he acquired extensive experience in invention harvesting, drafting applications, examining applications, opposing and defending patents before the EPO in first and second instances, managing extensive patent portfolios, and providing advice on technical agreements. He is also fluent in French and intermediate in German and Mandarin Chinese. Nicholas joined Stratagem IPM in 2017.

Matthew is a European and UK Patent Attorney specialising in the life sciences. Following an applied biology degree at the University of Bath and a PhD in invertebrate pathology, he undertook two post docs focussing on plant molecular biology. He then spent several years working for Rhone Poulenc on herbicide targets and plant genomics before moving to the patent department in 2001. In 2003 he moved to BTG and, latterly, Boston Scientific, where he worked on various projects in pharmaceuticals, polymers, biotech and medical devices, acquisition due diligence, freedom to operate, and R&D and tech transfer agreements.

Richard is a Chartered Patent Attorney and a European Patent Attorney.

Richard has a BSc and PhD in chemistry. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Chartered Chemist. He worked as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry before entering the profession in 1996. He was appointed as partner of an IP practice in 2005, and he joined Stratagem IPM in 2022.

Richard handles a broad spectrum of technical subject matter, which includes chemical, materials science, healthcare, pharmaceutical and medical-related innovations. In addition to drafting and prosecuting patent applications, Richard represents patentees and opponents in opposition and appeal proceedings before the Opposition Divisions and Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office. He also advises on the scope and validity of 3rd party patent filings and provides freedom to operate opinions. Richard has represented various leading UK and international companies and acted as an expert witness on European patent law in litigation proceedings in Canada for a multi-national pharmaceutical company.

Michael is a Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney. Before joining Stratagem in 2017, he worked nine years in private practice in the UK and Australia. Michael’s experience working overseas has given him a broad knowledge of patent matters in multiple jurisdictions. In addition to drafting and prosecuting European, UK, Australian, New Zealand, and international patent applications, Michael has particular experience in matters relating to freedom to operate, IP strategy and due diligence and works with various clients, from start-ups and SMEs to large corporations.

Michael obtained an Honours degree and PhD in chemistry from the University of Bristol and carried out postdoctoral research at Princeton University, USA and the University of Exeter. Michael’s extensive research background enables him to quickly get to grips with a broad range of technical subject matter in the chemical and life sciences sector, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, mining, petrochemicals, inks, steels, food products, polymers and chemical sensors.

Diana joined Stratagem IPM in February 2017, having spent five years working in private practice on global patent portfolios. She gained particular experience in UK and European patent prosecution, including supporting Opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office. She also has experience in due diligence, restoration, and re-establishment of rights and has provided opinions on patentability, infringement, and validity.

Prior to entering the patent profession, Diana worked closely with biotech and pharma clients on technology and commercial strategy projects as a consultant. Therefore, Diana understands the importance of IP as a commercial asset and is able to tailor her service and advice to the needs of each client and their business.

She has experience in a broad range of Life Science technologies, especially: protein engineering, antibodies, biological therapeutics, vaccines, plant biotechnology, diagnostics and medical devices. Diana has a first-class Natural Sciences degree from the University of Cambridge, focusing on molecular biology, physiology, zoology, and neuroscience.

Sarah joined Stratagem in 2015 and qualified as a Chartered Patent Attorney in 2019, having been awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Law and an MSc in Management of Intellectual Property from Queen Mary University of London in 2016. Sarah’s technical background is in molecular biology, human biology, plant sciences and pathology, and she has experience in patent drafting and prosecution in a variety of fields, including life sciences and digital health. Sarah particularly enjoys undertaking patentability and freedom to operate analyses and preparing oppositions and third-party observations before the European Patent Office. Prior to joining Stratagem, Sarah gained experience in a number of sectors, including research, pharmaceuticals and science communication, and has worked for organisations ranging from small start-ups through universities to large multinationals, so she has an understanding of their different commercial requirements. Sarah has a first degree in Natural Sciences (Genetics) from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in molecular plant virology from the University of Bristol.

Sophy Denny is a Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney with over 15 years of experience in patent practice. She has a degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Durham University and previous research experience in plant sciences, including genetic transformation.

Sophy’s area of expertise covers a wide range of disciplines, including biochemistry, immunology, pharmaceuticals, genetics, medical devices and therapies, with particular expertise in biotherapeutics, including biologics, antibody therapeutics, and recombinant DNA technology.

She has experience in the full range of patent services, ranging from prosecuting patent applications for a wide range of clients, drafting patent applications, handling opposition and appeal work, and obtaining patent term extensions and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) in countries where such rights are available, as well as instructing attorneys in various jurisdictions worldwide.

Uybach is a European Patent Attorney and UK Chartered Patent Attorney. He has experience with filing and prosecuting patent applications through to grant in the UK and Europe. Uybach covers a wide range of disciplines, including; biophysics, biotechnology and med-tech, with particular expertise in medical devices, microfluidic devices, imaging systems, spectroscopy and artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies. Uybach also conducts freedom-to-operate reviews and provides patent infringement and validity opinions. He manages intellectual property (IP) portfolios of all sizes, including high-growth start-ups, spin-outs and SMEs.

Uybach graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Biochemistry and holds a PhD in Biophysics from the University of Manchester. His previous experiences include a placement at GlaxoSmithKline, working as a researcher at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland and being awarded a CASE studentship at AstraZeneca.

Uybach is a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and a member of the European Patent Institute (EPI).

Oliver is a European Patent Attorney and UK Chartered Patent Attorney. He graduated from the University of Bath with a first-class degree in Civil Engineering (MEng) and spent a year working as a structural engineer before joining Stratagem in 2018.

Oliver has experience with filing and prosecuting patent applications through to grant in a wide variety of areas, including security devices, propulsion systems, printing apparatus, renewable energy, and computer-based systems. Oliver also conducts freedom-to-operate reviews, provides opinions on patent infringement and validity, and manages intellectual property (IP) portfolios and budgets of varying sizes.

Oliver has a particular interest in developing proactive and commercially-focused IP strategies for companies looking to capitalise on the value of their IP.

Tharsini is a European Patent Attorney and UK Chartered Patent Attorney. She completed a BSc in Biochemistry at King’s College London and an MRes in Clinical Research at Imperial College London before undertaking a PhD in biological sciences at the Quadram Institute Bioscience. Tharsini joined Stratagem IPM in July 2017, having completed a three-month internship with the firm the previous year.

Tharsini has experience managing portfolios of SMEs and filing and prosecuting patent applications in the life sciences field. She also conducts freedom-to-operate reviews and provides opinions on infringement and patentability. 

Jennifer is a European Patent Attorney with experience in filing and prosecuting patent applications through to grant in a wide variety of areas, including electrochemistry, battery technology, renewable energy, optics, microfluidic devices, automotive and mechanical devices. Jennifer also conducts freedom-to-operate reviews and provides opinions on infringement and validity.

Jennifer completed an MChem in Chemistry at the University of Leeds, including a year spent in industry at GSK. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sheffield, where her research focused on model electrodes for fuel cells. Jennifer joined Stratagem IPM in October 2020, having completed a three-month internship with the firm.

James joined Stratagem IPM in November 2017 as a Trainee Patent Attorney. He holds a PhD in organic synthesis from Durham University and a first-class Undergraduate Master’s degree in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Loughborough University. During his PhD, he worked alongside a leading flavour and fragrance manufacturer, and his research led to multiple patent filings. His technical experience within chemistry centres around modern synthesis techniques and includes flow chemistry, the use of solid-supported reagents and various areas of catalysis, including biocatalysis. Upon completing his studies, James moved to a position in the pharmaceutical industry, gaining experience in API process development, before later taking up a position in the autocatalyst industry, where he was responsible for supporting key manufacturing plants in Asia.

Hannah joined Stratagem in August 2019 as a Trainee Patent Attorney. She graduated with an Undergraduate Master’s in Chemistry with Biological and Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Sheffield. During her university career, Hannah studied a variety of modules, including core chemistry theories, cheminformatics, and genomic approaches to drug design, as well as completing a masters project focused on the mechanistic differences between a mutant enzyme and its wild type.

Sam joined Stratagem in October 2021 as a Trainee Patent Attorney, having completed an internship in Summer 2018. Sam graduated in 2016 with a first-class Master of Science degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Nottingham. He then went on to complete a PhD in Biological Chemistry at the University of East Anglia under the Norwich Research Park Doctoral Training Partnership. Completed in 2021, Sam’s research project was focussed on the assembly and biotechnological applications of electrically conductive proteins from bacteria. This interdisciplinary work gave Sam experience in a range of different fields, including molecular biology, protein biochemistry, spectroscopy, biophysical chemistry, electrochemistry and photochemistry.