Sean Dennehey

Interim Chief Executive and Comptroller General

Sean Dennehey has been appointed Interim Chief Executive and Comptroller-General pending the appointment of a substantive replacement for Ian Fletcher, who left the organisation to take up the post of CEO of the Department of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation for the Government of Queensland, Australia.

After reading natural sciences at Cambridge University, Sean joined the Office in 1978 as a patent examiner. He has been involved in a number of policy initiatives, including negotiation of the EC Biotechnology Directive and the Supplementary Protection Certificate Regulation, and the conference in 2000 to revise the European Patent Convention.

In the operational field, Sean initially set up the Office's non-statutory search and advisory services. He has also led the Patents Legal Section and acted as a tribunal Hearing Officer, deciding inter-partes disputes as an alternative or prelude to litigation in the High Court.

Sean was appointed Director of Patents in March 2004 and Assistant Comptroller in November 2007.