Oliver is Global Head of Evidence Services, based in our Bangkok office and specialising in anti-piracy enforcement and intelligence gathering. He has extensive industry experience developing and implementing content protection programmes across Asia Pacific and Latin America.
The expression 'many roads lead to Rome 'dates back to the Roman Empire and the huge interconnected road network that extended throughout Europe and beyond. The Empire has long fallen, but in many countries the expression endures, and along with it the idea that the straightest road, or shortest route, will not necessarily be the best one. That is certainly true in Oliver's case. Someone setting out to do the work he is now doing would almost certainly not choose to start where he started, or take the path he has taken. And yet it is hard to imagine how anyone could be better qualified than Oliver is for his current role.
Perhaps his unusual career path had its origins very early on. He grew up in Bristol in the southwest of England where both his parents were doctors and his three sisters were all academically inclined. Oliver, on the other hand, had a great love of the outdoors and a wide range of interests, all essentially practical. His parents chose a school wisely and sent him to board at Monkton Combe School, a relatively small school just south of Bath and regularly ranked among the top independent schools in the UK for its focus on student wellbeing, happiness, confidence and overall development. Oliver was very happy there and, having grown up with three sisters, enjoyed the boarding house atmosphere and the chance to develop independence and self-reliance.
When the time came to leave Monkton Combe, Oliver was thinking of a career as a Diplomat. He was interested in international affairs and good with people, so it was a sensible choice; everyone seemed to think it a good idea. He enrolled in a course at Keele University in England's West Midlands and obtained a BA (Hons) degree in International Relations. By the time he graduated, his career plans had changed and he opted for a financial career in London as an Investment Advisor. It turned out not to be the right career for him, but his time there was hugely influential. He did not like the industry values, regarding much of the activity as morally dubious. Although he was learning a lot, he decided that, after three years, it was time for a change.
At this point he took a step that to many, including his family, was surprising: he decided to join the Police. His reasoning, however, was sound: he had always been interested in the Police, his time in the word of finance had focused his mind on white collar crime, and, crucially, a career in the Police offered training on the job. He was interested in joining the City of London Police, which operates in the small historic 'Square Mile' financial district, whereas the larger Metropolitan Police covers the rest of the Greater London area. It was a career move that has proved invaluable in ways he could never have expected – but quite apart from that, the years he spent with the Police were some of the best and most enjoyable of his entire professional life.
All Police are required to do their first two years in uniform, which, for someone with Oliver's background, didn't aways come naturally, but he found it the most exciting thing he had ever done – so much so that he subsequently trained as a Public Order Officer with the specialist Territorial Support Group. This was challenging work, and at times dangerous. He was, for example, involved in the notorious 2011 London riots that followed the shooting of Mark Duggan. At this point, Oliver's son, Thomas, was born and shift work became impossible so Oliver moved back to work on financial crimes, but every day he missed the energy and excitement of his previous work, and he missed the people he had worked with, many of whom had become friends for life.
In the financial crime area, he was working primarily on anti-money laundering activity, when his boss asked if he would be interested in setting up an IP Crime Unit. He didn't know anything about IP, but he was up for the challenge. It was the first Police unit of its kind in the world – now there are many others. He spent four years doing that and was enjoying the work; he had no intention of leaving and assumed he would continue happily there for the rest of his working life, which he no doubt would have done if, after a case he had done for them, the Motion Picture Association had not offered him a job he couldn't resist - overseeing the US Film Industry's efforts to combat Film Piracy in the Asia Pacific region. Apart from the work itself, the job was in Singapore and Oliver had aways wanted to live overseas, particularly in Asia: it was an opportunity he just couldn't refuse. It turned out to be the best thing he could have done. His Police background proved to be invaluable - apart from anything else because local Police often found it easier to talk to him than to a lawyer. Not surprisingly, his particular qualifications and experience have over the years led to similar roles developing content enforcement teams with other industry players, from IFPI, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, to, most recently, TikTok.
Then, in 2023, inspired by Nick Redfearn's plans and vision for the future of Rouse's Evidence Services teams, and keen to get back to being directly involved in IP protection, Oliver joined Rouse as Global Head of Evidence Services, based in Bangkok. It is a role that could have been made for him and for which he couldn't be better prepared. He loves everything about living in Asia, particularly Bangkok; he is a good judge of people and enjoys developing and managing teams; and his practical IP experience, both in the Police and in industry, is proving to be invaluable. In his case, the shortest and most direct route, would certainly not have been the best one.