Annie Walker
Doctor of Letters
The Regent Street Association (RSA) was formed in 1925 when the Crown Estate, the landlord, was redeveloping Regent Street. It represents the interests of the retailers, restaurants, offices and other businesses in the area and promotes Regent Street to both the UK and overseas markets through marketing and traffic free events. On behalf of the 300 members; 100 retailers, 50 restaurants and bars, 11 hotels and many office tenants, the Regent Street Association organises frequent networking events.
Annie Walker joined the Regent Street Association in 1994 having previously been in advertising. As a tenant organisation her role has been to promote Regent Street both to the UK and overseas markets, thereby raising awareness of the street and increasing footfall.
In the year 2000 the RSA, under Annie Walker’s leadership, was responsible for introducing the first ever traffic free event in Regent Street, The Regent Street Festival. Since then the RSA has organised many traffic free days including the infamous F1 on Regent Street, the annual Regent Street Motor Show, NFL on Regent Street and more recently Summer Streets.
In March 2005 Regent Street became part of the New West End Company, the company running the newly formed Business Improvement District (BID) for Oxford Street Regent Street and Bond Street. Annie led the campaign for Regent Street, although part of the BID area, to remain in control of the income coming through the BID levy. Both Bond Street and Regent Street adopted this federal approach thereby maintaining their identity.
In 2012 the RSA, again under Annie’s leadership, launched the Regent Street Gift Card, the first UK Gift Card to be sold in a high street environment. By working closely with the retailers in and around Regent Street the card can now be accepted in over 145 businesses and is seen as a fantastic corporate incentive as well as present. In June 2014 Regent Street also became the first purpose built shopping street in Europe to pioneer an innovative new mobile app, using Beacon technology. This delivers exclusive personalised content to shoppers during their visit.
Richard Arnold
Doctor of Law
Richard Arnold was educated at Highgate School and went on to gain his masters from Magdalen College, Oxford, and his diploma in law (Dip Law) from the University of Westminster. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1985 and became a QC in 2000.
Appointed to the High Court Bench in October 2008, Richard Arnold’s practice was in intellectual property, entertainment and media law and data protection, both domestically and in European Courts and Tribunals. He was Chairman of the Code of Practice for the Promotion of Animal Medicines Committee from 2002 to 2008, an Appointed Person hearing trade mark appeals from 2003 to 2008 and a Deputy High Court Judge from 2004 to 2008.
He was appointed to be Judge in Charge of the Patents Court in April 2013 and as an External Member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office in March 2016.
He is the author of Performers’ Rights, the editor of the Halsbury’s Laws of England title Trade Marks and Trade Names, and was editor of Entertainment and Media Law Reports from 1993.