WRI Group are delighted to announce the appointment of Phil Lewis as company Chairperson and Policy Advisor

Phil Lewis brings more than 25 years of experience shaping how governments and industry respond to intellectual property crime. After nearly eight years as Director General of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG), he now works as a national expert consultant to governments and non-governmental research institutions and serves as Vice Chair of the World Customs Organisation’s (WCO) Business Representative Group.
Phil’s career began at the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), where in 2001 he became the UK’s senior policy adviser on IP crime. He led development of the UK’s first national IP crime strategy and introduced the country’s first dedicated IP enforcement team. He went on to become Joint Chair of the UNECE working group on Intellectual Property Protection, represented the UK at G8 level, and took part in EU accession missions assessing candidate countries’ enforcement readiness.
In 2008, Phil was seconded to the European Commission as a senior national expert, where he developed the strategy behind the EU Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, now a cornerstone of EU enforcement data and policy.
Joining ACG in 2014 and becoming Director General in 2018, Phil sharpened the organisation’s focus on the links between counterfeiting and organised crime, the rise of online counterfeiting, and cross-border public-private intelligence sharing. He also represented UK Government as the voice of business on IP crime.
His contribution to the field has been recognised with the 2025 Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group Award for Individual Achievement, the UK IP Champion Award, and other lifetime achievement honours.

His appointment will help shape the future of WRi Group and his unrivalled passion for IP related policy will enhance our current services of Brand Protection, Investigation, Intelligence Management, Consultancy and training via the WRi Academy.

Graham Mogg LLM MCTSI, founder and CEO at WRi Group said, ‘Having worked alongside Phil for over 20 years in many guises including at the UKIPO and ACG I have witnessed firsthand not only his immense knowledge in all things IP but also his genuine passion to protect consumers and IP rights holders from the scourge of counterfeiting and other illicit trade.’’

‘’These attributes align with the mission of our company, and we are incredibly fortunate that he has agreed to accept the role of Chairperson and Policy Advisor’’

Look out for Phil’s bi-monthly policy newsletters providing insights into current and emerging changes to the IP landscape on the global stage.

If you have need of any of our services, including our new policy advisory service then please contact us on enquiries@wri-group.com