Ciarán McGinley joined the European Patent Office in 1982 as an Examiner after graduating from Bristol University in England with a BSc in Aeronautical Engineering.

He has a broad experience of the EPO being involved in IT projects, change-management, human resources and organisational innovation.

In 1999 after completing a sabbatical year in Paris to study an MBA (HEC-ISA) he returned as Director to the RSS (Receiving Section and SIS Units).

He has played a leading role in setting up the EPO’s e-business (epoline©) customer services and electronic patent-processing system. More recently, he was Project Leader to “Mastering the Workload” , a project that is closely linked to the EPO mission statement to support innovation, competitiveness and economic growth for the benefit of the citizens of Europe.

For sometime he has devoted considerable study on research on the strategic role of patents in the knowledge economy. Since February 2003, he acts as Controller and member of the board of the EPO with responsibility for operational and economic strategy.

In his spare time his hobbies include golf, reading and DIY.