Katrina Burchell began her career in trade marks at Allied Lyons before moving to ICI and Wildbore & Gibbons. She joined Unilever in 1997 where she became head of the global trade mark team.
She notably oversaw the outsourcing of the administration of Unilever’s 160,000 trade marks – the world’s largest trade mark portfolio – to Baker & McKenzie in 2007 (Managing IP subscribers can read an interview with Burchell about Unilever’s outsourcing experience here).
In 2012 Burchell joined French luxury goods company PPR as group IP director, splitting her time between Paris and London and managing a portfolio that includes Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.
Katrina will work alongside IP partner Georgie Collins, who moved to Irwin Mitchell in September 2013 to spearhead the firm’s London IP Practice and is expected help the firm develop its outsourcing expertise.
Collins said: “Katrina understands how to price and market brands-led IP products and services effectively and efficiently without compromising quality. As a result of her role at Unilever she also understands that there are some aspects of trade mark filing/prosecution work that are process driven and can be systemised and managed more efficiently.”
Burchell has been chair of ACG, a council member of ITMA and a board member of INTA (co-chairing INTA’s Seattle Annual Meeting). She has contributed a number of articles to Managing IP, including on ways of tackling lookalikes and the use of fixed legal fees.
