Congratulations to our new Principals, Dr Annabella Newton and Dr Matthew Overett

We’re thrilled to announce that Dr Annabella Newton and Dr Matthew Overett have been elevated to Principals of the firm. Both Annabella and Matthew joined Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick in 2013 and 2015 respectively as Trainee Patent Attorneys and have since made significant contributions to the work done in our Chemistry and Life Sciences team. It has been fantastic to watch Annabella and Matthew’s career journey within the firm – and we look forward to what they will bring to the partnership.

Annabella completed her PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Nottingham and has a wealth of research experience in academia, industry and at CSIRO. Her work has been published in several high-impact journals. Particularly interested in the role of IP in the commercialisation of research, she was a co-founder of a medical device start-up in 2016. This led her to become an Innovation Mentor with CSIRO’s ON Program.

This is a lovely career milestone and a great honour.  I’m grateful to POF and my wonderful clients for all of the trust and support they have shown in me.  I’m excited to step to this new role and I look forward to contributing to the continued growth and success of the firm.

– Annabella Newton

As a named inventor on 12 PCT applications and a technical expert, Matthew was responsible for developing a global patent portfolio in the field of ethylene oligomerisation technology, as well as conducting patent landscape studies focusing on freedom-to-operate and competitor intelligence. He brings more than a decade of industrial R&D experience to his practice and works with both local and international clients to protect their inventions across a diverse range of technologies.

I am delighted to join the partnership at Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick, and value the opportunity to build on the firm’s outstanding record of service to our clients.  I am privileged to witness Australian innovation in materials- and chemistry-related technologies on a daily basis, and look forward to working with clients in the university, research, SME and corporate sectors to protect their intellectual property in the years to come.

– Matthew Overett

We wish them both every success in their new roles!