Rod is a business adviser, executive, and business angel who is Executive Chair of the Industry Forum, a highly active London-based business policy forum that promotes dialogue between senior UK policy-makers and the business community.
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He is a board member of AgeneBio a US life sciences, spin-out from Johns Hopkins, which is developing therapeutics to preserve and restore brain function for patients at risk from neurological and psychiatric diseases; the lead, late-stage clinical programme is focussed on Alzheimer’s Disease.
After graduation in Physics from Oxford, Rod worked as a software engineer and then in management consultancy. As a consultant, he worked extensively in the financial and technology sectors, and on a range of engagements for the European Commission. He was a partner in KPMG for 15 years, during which he led the rapid expansion of the KPMG European High Technology Practice. At KPMG, he worked with legendary high-tech marketeer, Regis McKenna, guru to Steve Jobs at Apple, and Rod managed Regis McKenna Europe for several years. Rod has provided advice and arbitration on a number of large outsourcing deals. He has founded and led start-up technology companies and raised the necessary finance.
He was CEO/Founder of zoomf.com a property search engine which was sold to a media group in 2008. He was an expert witness in a high-profile software patent dispute. Rod works with a number of universities on subjects including corporate governance, the impact of new technologies and financial policy. In the past five years he has worked on public policy projects including the Kerslake Review of the Treasury, and some research work looking at the decline of public trust in politics and business, and strategies to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases.
Diana Sternfeld
Director
Diana is a well-known patent litigator, working particularly in life sciences with an international practice in that area. As well as acting in patent disputes in all UK courts, she advises on international disputes and coordinates and assists with actions in other jurisdictions and patent offices.
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Diana graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in mathematics, statistics and economics.
After a period with the civil service, she retrained as a solicitor. On qualification, Diana joined the central London commercial firm of Stringer Saul. She managed that practice for three years until 2001 when she joined Rouse where she worked until 2015 when she joined Fieldfisher LLP.
Jo Wyer
Director
Jo Wyer joined Industry Forum as Manager in 2007 to manage the administration and events, becoming a Director in 2017. Her previous background was in project and programme management, primarily in the financial and telecoms sectors.
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She has worked at programme management level (to manage and support aspects of large projects such as EMU and Y2K), and at project level managing both technical and non-technical projects and staff.
On a number of major engagements for leading corporations, she was responsible for defining the strategic and implementation plans and then overseeing progress through to completion.
Earlier in her career Jo managed software and hardware translation projects for clients of a specialised translation company, and before that was responsible for managing a team in the European Patent Office for a major US office products company.
Advisory board
Andrew Smith
Chief Economic Adviser
Andrew Smith is an independent economist and commentator.
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Formerly Chief Economist at KPMG, and before that Chief Economist and Investment Strategist at Credit Lyonnais Laing he is a member of the UK Government Secretary of State’s Panel on the Economy at BIS and a Board Member of the Centre for International Business and Management at the University of Bath. Andrew has an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and an M Phil in Economics from Oxford University.
Diana Sternfeld
Director
Diana is a well-known patent litigator, working particularly in life sciences with an international practice in that area. As well as acting in patent disputes in all UK courts, she advises on international disputes and coordinates and assists with actions in other jurisdictions and patent offices.
read more
Diana graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in mathematics, statistics and economics.
After a period with the civil service, she retrained as a solicitor. On qualification, Diana joined the central London commercial firm of Stringer Saul. She managed that practice for three years until 2001 when she joined Rouse where she worked until 2015 when she joined Fieldfisher LLP.
Ashley Goodall
Marketing Consultant, Iraq Britain Business Council
Ashley Goodall is an experienced Marketing Consultant to charitable, business, cultural and financial brands.
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Ashley currently works as a Consultant for Iraq Britain Business Council, Crossborder capital and the AMAR Foundation in London and a Chinese creative investment fund. His work includes connecting organisations with audiences, traditional press and media communications, events and digital and government affairs. As MD of Saatchi & Saatchi Design, Ashley ran large branding projects for clients such as Barclays Capital, Raifeissen bank, The Post office, A1 telecom Austria, Head and Shoulders and T Mobile and originally devised and created the ‘Oxford Thinking’ campaign for Oxford University fundraising launch in 2008.
As head of Business Development and Marketing at Fitch (WPP) he also developed an international range of clients in retail, branding and communications. Originally a marketing graduate at EMI records, Ashley signed diverse acts as Iron Maiden, Talk Talk and Curiosity Killed the Cat, before moving onto creative marketing recruitment and a directorship at Pricejamieson in the 90’s. Ashley was a previously Chairman of OCDA, (Oxford Cooperative Development Agency) concerned with credit unions and training.
He was a founder member of Comic Relief, worked with Band Aid, is a trustee of the Keats Foundation and was a mentor at Ultd. Ashley regularly arranges global economic talks in Parliament with speakers including Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Lord Green, Kevin Rudd, the IEA, Shanker Singham and Blockchain pioneers.
Melissa Dowler
Director, Bell Phillips Architects
Melissa Dowler is a director of Bell Phillips Architects, a 35 person practice based in Wapping and working predominantly in the housing sector.
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Over the last decade BPA has developed a strong reputation for delivering exemplar affordable housing and has won numerous regional and national design awards including RIBA, Civic Trust and Housing Design Awards. Beyond housing BPA has a growing body of public projects including the award winning Gasholder Park at Kings Cross Central.
David Offenbach
Solicitor Consultant, Simons Muirhead Burton
David Offenbach has been a business and property solicitor consultant for 19 years with London media and commercial law firm Simons Muirhead & Burton with a wide range of commercial, charitable and not-for-profit clients.
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He was formerly Senior Partner of Offenbach & Co solicitors London W1, and formerly a non-executive director of listed and private companies, charities, housing associations, a College of Furthur Education, and a councillor in the London Borough of Camden.
Klau Chmielowska
Co-Executive Director, Lafiya Nigeria
Klau Chmielowska is a Research Fellow at the Global Policy Institute and Founder and Executive Director of Lafiya Nigeria.
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Lafiya Nigeria is a global health non-profit organisation that focuses on strengthening the social infrastructure of Nigeria by empowering women to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. Their organisation targets the communities living in extreme poverty and geographically isolated regions. Klau holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Their passion for education resulted in working on improving educational opportunities for young people worldwide as a part of the Board of British Alumni Society. They also have experience in management consulting and digital technology, covering extensively the financial and environmental sectors.
Research team
Oliver Patel
Consulting Associate at Industry Forum and Manager, UCL European Institute
Oliver is the Manager of the UCL European Institute, and leads on public policy engagement, partnerships, research strategy, operations, and finance.
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Oliver is also a Consulting Associate at the Industry Forum and is an experienced policy researcher, writer, public speaker, and media commentator. He publishes widely on a range of policy areas, especially digital regulation, including data protection, cross-border data flows, AI policy and governance, and intermediary liability.
Oliver also specialises in UK/EU politics and Brexit. Previously, Oliver worked as a Researcher at both UCL Grand Challenges and the UCL Constitution Unit. He has also worked in Nesta's policy and research team, as well as the House of Commons office of Chuka Umunna MP. Oliver holds an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy (distinction) from LSE.
Johnny Roberts
Student Researcher
Johnny is a recent graduate from King's College London, having completed a Master's degree in Intelligence and International Security.
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During his time on this course, Johnny focused particularly on the study of extremism and radicalisation, writing his dissertation on 'Exploring the role of the Internet in violently radicalising extreme-right lone-actor terrorists in the United States since 2015.' Prior to this, he completed a Bachelor's degree in History at the University of East Anglia. Following on from his education, Johnny is pursuing a career in the security sector, with a special interest in counter-extremism.
Leo Warner
Student Researcher
Leo is an undergraduate at the University of Oxford. Over the past two years, his studies have cultivated an in-depth understanding of various aspects of history and politics.
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He has particularly focused on international relations, significantly enhancing his knowledge of Cold War-era global developments and processes such as globalisation and the causes of war. Additionally, he has concentrated on British political history since 1900 and is preparing to extend this focus in his third year.
His research project with the Industry Forum addresses the need for a more united Europe, with a special emphasis on issues related to democracy, military threats, social cohesion, global influence, and trade decline. The aim of this project is to identify problems in these areas and develop practical solutions to promote European unity. He intends to leverage the skills and knowledge gained from this internship and his degree to pursue a career in the civil service or as a political researcher.
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