An intellectual property consultancy which started life in Newport five years ago has relocated its office back to the city centre.
Roberston IP has grown from a home-based, patent drafting agency into an internationally-recognised IP firm, managing portfolios for hundreds of clients worldwide.
Founded by Christopher Robertson, an intellectual property expert with more than a decade of experience, the firm is celebrating its expansion by moving into offices in the heart of the city’s commercial area at Chester House, Gold Tops.
Christopher, who began his career at the Intellectual Property Office in Newport before qualifying as a Patent Examiner, decided to set up his own business offering transparent costs, expert support and services, ranging from patent applications to trade mark registrations and designs.
Within six months he had hired extra staff and co-working space in Newport High Street but the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to transition to working from home. By the end of the pandemic he took the difficult decision to scale down the business.
In 2022, the father-of-one relocated to a shared office space in Whitchurch, Cardiff, during which, business flourished and expanded to more than 200 clients.
When the opportunity arose to move back to Newport earlier this year he seized the opportunity.
“I am delighted to return to Newport where I have lived for 13 years and to be at the heart of the business community once again,” he said.
“As a Newport-founded business it’s always been my long-term goal to come back. When I saw the opportunity to move to Gold Tops I leapt at the chance.”
Christopher, who last year celebrated five years in business, brings with him Client Liaison Manager, Charlott Fagergard, who joined the firm a year ago.
Charlott has a background in hospitality, customer care and service, having managed several businesses, including a global networking platform supporting business owners, and is the first port of call for new and existing clients, handling trade mark registration and the maintenance of patents.
“The past year has been transformative with Charlott on board,” said Christopher.
“When Charlott joined demand had returned to where it was pre-pandemic and I was trying to manage the work of the three staff that I lost during that time.”
Charlott said:
“My business background means I am naturally interested and intrigued by trade mark applications and the technicalities of the registration process.
“I am constantly learning about intellectual property and strive to make it transparent and simple for our customers.”
