Andrew Yeates has been Intellectual Property Adviser to the Professional Publishers Association since 2004. He is also currently General Counsel to the Educational Recording Agency and a Consultant to both British Equity Collecting Society and Sheridans Solicitors. He became a Director of the British Copyright Council in 2008.
Following qualifying as a solicitor in 1981, Andrew joined Thames Television as Contracts Manager for Thames and its subsidiaries Thames Television International and Euston Films.
He left Thames in 1987 and became Company lawyer for PPL before joining Channel 4 in 1988.
He worked with Channel 4 for 11 years in a number of roles including Head of Acquisitions and Business Affairs and finally 4 years as Company Secretary and Head of Rights. In 1999 he joined the BPI (the record industry trade association) initially a Director of Legal and Business Affairs and then as Director General and a Director of BRIT Awards Limited from 2000 to 2004.
In 1989 Andrew helped set up the Educational Recording Agency and was Chairman from 1995.
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.