Linda Thilivhali is a qualified Trade Mark Practitioner and an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, holding an LLB degree.
With over a decade of experience in intellectual property law, Linda specialises in the selection, clearance, and registration of trade marks both locally and internationally. She advises clients on trade mark prosecution, conducts IP due diligence investigations, and manages complex IP portfolios across multiple jurisdictions. Her strategic and detail-oriented approach ensures that clients’ intellectual property assets are effectively protected and commercially leveraged.
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Godfrey Budeli is a partner in the firm’s trade mark and copyright litigation section, and head of the anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy team. He holds an LLB degree from the University of Pretoria and an LLM degree from the University of Cape Town. His area of speciality includes Customs Recordals and training of law enforcement officials, border and in-market enforcement, in-market survey and in-depth investigations, parallel or grey goods and online enforcement, civil High Court litigation and supporting criminal prosecution, watching brief relating to criminal cases in relation to anti-counterfeiting on the African continent.
He served on the firm’s Management Committee as the diversity representative for four years.
Christiaan Steyn is an Intellectual Property law specialist with expertise in Trade Marks, Copyright, and Domain Name Disputes. He is the Founder and Managing Director of STEYN IP, where he leads a focused practice dedicated to protecting and enforcing IP rights across diverse industries.
He has held key roles at leading law firms, managed Trade Mark and Domain portfolios at Sasol Technology, and served within the Trade Marks Office at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission under the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
An LLB graduate of North-West University and an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, Christiaan also serves as a Senior Domain Dispute Adjudicator and is actively involved in the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law. He is passionate about advancing IP protection, particularly within South Africa’s creative industries.
Professor Vivienne Lawack is Professor of Fintech Law and Regulation in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Western Cape and the founding Director of the Centre for African Fintech, Innovation and Law (CAFIL), established in 2025. A distinguished scholar in fintech law and regulation in Africa, she holds B. Juris and LLB (cum laude) degrees, an LLM from Nelson Mandela University, and an LLD from University of South Africa. She is also an admitted, non-practising advocate of the High Court of South Africa.
Professor Lawack previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at UWC (2015–2025) and has held senior leadership roles in academia, financial regulation, and legal practice, including positions at the South African Reserve Bank and Strate Limited. Her research focuses on fintech regulation in Africa, including digital currencies, cryptoassets, remittances, mobile money, financial inclusion, and financial integrity.
Michele is an experienced executive with extensive general and information technology management , with corporate board experience as the GS1 South Africa Executive, supply chain, standards, and information technology businesses. Demonstrates innovation and analytic strengths developing technology transformation strategies to adopt supply chain standards for small and mature businesses. An inclusive , hands on and steward leader with a passion to build high performance teams to grow and strengthen our local economies in Africa.
Prof. Sylvia Papadopoulos is an associate professor at the University of Pretoria (Tukkies) and the acting director of the IP Law Centre at UP. Member of The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) Consumer Advisory Panel and leader of ChIPs SA Chapter . Her main areas of expertise are ICT Law, AI and Gen AI and law, Data Protection & Privacy, E-commerce, E-Consumer Law and the interface of IP Law with technology. Thus making her competent in the fields of Tech and Policy, Regulatory Compliance, Public Speaking, Academic Writing, and Report Writing. Holds a Doctor of Law – (LLD) in cyber and consumer law from University of Pretoria. Most recently, she co-published the book Cyberlaw@SA IV: The Law of the Internet in South Africa.
Hazel is a commercial and intellectual property lawyer with experience in regulatory compliance and risk advisory; commercial transactions; policy review; recommendation and implementation; regulatory controls and best practices; global intellectual property law practices; anti-counterfeit and cross border illicit trade; and policy dialogue with various government entities.
Vanessa is a qualified trade mark practitioner and specializes in IP protection and enforcement, with a specific focus on anti-counterfeiting and associated enforcement measures.
For more than two decades, Vanessa has been assisting clients from all industries and areas in respect of both traditional and non-traditional IP protection and enforcement, both in South Africa as well as key African territories, with a strong focus on regional and cross-border enforcement measures.
With a strong passion and belief in education and capacity building, Vanessa works closely with government bodies and industries in South Africa and is actively involved in the training programs for law enforcement, customs and other role players in anti-counterfeiting and intellectual property enforcement measures.
Vanessa is the co-author of INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT IN AFRICA (published May 2020 by Oxford University Press) and co-authored the Africa Chapter of RESEARCH HANDBOOK ON CROSS-BORDER ENFORCEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (published 2014 by Edward Elgar Publishing Limited).
Soza Antonio Ruzario’s professional journey began after completing his Cambridge Advanced level studies at high school. Recognising at an early age that his true passion lay in the realm of engineering, he opted to embark on a four-year apprenticeship programme with the Zimbabwe power utility instead of proceeding to university, a choice that would lay the foundation for his future in tech.
During this formative apprenticeship period, Soza attained the Zimbabwe National Crafts Certificate, qualifying him as an artisan electrician. His thirst for knowledge led him to pursue further technical training, embarking on the City and Guilds of London Institute’s technical training and skills development programme. By the end of his apprenticeship he had achieved Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 technical certifications, culminating in him earning the coveted City and Guilds Full Technological Certificate (FTC).
Soza’s professional career has been a testament to his versatility and expertise. He has held various roles within Zimbabwe’s power utility, including positions at Powertel Communications, a subsidiary responsible for the utility’s optic fibre backbone network. Here, he served as the Network Operations Manager, overseeing the operations and maintenance of the utility’s countrywide telecommunication fibre-based infrastructure, and later as the NOC Manager, spearheading network management, operations and service provisioning.
Today, Soza’s innovative spirit shines through his ICT firm which specialises in security systems and software application concepts development. Additionally, he serves as the Chief InitiActor of Afritiatives Media Limited, another company he founded, which is focused on bringing Africa together and inspiring shared visions and common agendas to tackle the continent’s business and social challenges.
Soza’s crowning achievement is the conceptualization of Afritiative’s flagship platform, the Africa Anti-Counterfeiting Agenda (AA-CA). This ambitious call-to-action initiative aims to build respect for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and place Intellectual Property (IP) at the core of Africa’s transformation agenda, paving the way for “The Africa We Want.” His multifaceted journey, spanning engineering, technical mastery and entrepreneurial innovation, is a testament to his unique blend of expertise and vision and unwavering commitment to driving positive change across Africa.
