Andrew Yeates
Andrew Yeates is a media lawyer and business affairs specialist whose career has included senior in-house roles within the television, film, music and publishing sectors since qualifying as a solicitor in 1981.
Andrew served as Chairman of the DCMS led Creative Exports Group from 2003 to 2008 and is now a member of the UKTI Creative Industries Advisory Board.
He was appointed as a member of the DCMS Legal Deposit Advisory Panel in September 2005 and was reappointed for a second term of four years from 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2012 in August 2008.
Andrew helped to set up The Educational Recording Agency in 1989 and served as Chairman from 1995 to 2004. Since then Andrew has continued working with the company as its General Counsel.
He has been Intellectual Property Adviser to PPA (Periodical Publishers Association) since 2004.
Since April 2006 he has also worked as a consultant to Sheridans solicitors, dealing particularly on rights related issues for clients involved in film, television and online distribution, and as a consultant for British Equity Collecting Society.
Andrew was appointed a Director of the British Copyright Council in September 2008.
Following qualifying as a solicitor Andrew joined Thames Television as Contracts Manager for Thames and its subsidiaries Thames Television International and Euston Films in 1981.
He left Thames in 1987 becoming Company Lawyer for Phonographic Performance Limited and then joining Channel 4 in 1988. He worked with Channel 4 in a number of roles during the next 11 years including as Head of Acquisitions and Business Affairs and finally for 4 years as Corporation Secretary and Head of Rights.
In 1999 he joined the BPI (the record industry trade association) initially as Director of Legal and Business Affairs and then as Director General of the BPI and a Director of Brit Awards Limited from 2000 to 2004.
Since leaving the BPI he has continued as a Governor and Director of the BRIT School.