Anti Copying in Design has named Laura Newbold Breen as chief operating officer.
She will begin her new role on 4 December.
She was previously head of legal for Magmatic, former owner of the Trunki children’s luggage brand, which was involved in many copying instances.
‘I am absolutely thrilled to be joining ACID, especially during its 25th year. Having been a proud member of the ACID sector council, I know all too well the constant IP difficulties faced by UK designers. At Magmatic, I was deeply involved in the seemingly relentless IP challenges, which gave me the opportunity to learn about IP at grass-roots level and develop a multi-faceted, resourceful approach to brand protection. Having also been heavily involved in product compliance and quality, I am extremely passionate about UK manufacturing and supporting our precious UK designers and SMEs,’ she says.
‘Dids’ [Macdonald, ACID ceo] drive, tenacity and ambition is a true inspiration and it is an honour to be working alongside her as we continue this exceptionally important work.’
‘The team and I can’t wait for Laura to bring her incredible IP knowledge, experience and insight to the team at a pivotal time in our history, twenty-five years from its inception. We are at a defining moment in our future where the beat has got to get louder to ensure UK designers who bring so much to the UK growth table, are supported with design laws that work and a system in which copyists are challenged a cost and timely effective framework. For too long, copyists have strangled innovators and Laura is just the person to ignite a new fire in our ongoing campaigning,’ says Macdonald.
