Chair of Digital Economy

Professor Ian Hargreaves

Ian's interests include the creative economy, media, journalism, intellectual property and the impact of digital communications technologies.

In 2010/2011 he led a review of intellectual property for the UK government. Its main recommendations were adopted as government policy in 2014.

Ian has also undertaken work on the creative industries for the Welsh Assembly government and co-authored a Manifesto for the Creative Economy for NESTA (2013).  He is a Co-Director of REACT, a £4m AHRC-funded creative economy knowledge exchange programme in South West England and Wales. He also leads Media, Community and the Creative Citizen (2011-2015), a major research programme involving six universities and a wide range of partners.

Ian is a member of the board of National Theatre Wales. His most recent book is Journalism, a Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press: second edition 2014).

Prior to joining Cardiff University, Ian was a leading UK journalist, including stints as Editor of The Independent and the New Statesman; Deputy Editor of the FT and Director of BBC News and Current Affairs.