Spruson & Ferguson is proud to announce 10 promotions across Australia and Asia, including three Principal appointments.
Promotions have been made across a range of practice areas, in Australia, China, Hong Kong SAR, and Malaysia. The promotions are effective 1 July 2023.
Simon Potter, Spruson & Ferguson Managing Director – Australia, said: “I’m very pleased to formally recognise the significant achievements of attorneys at all levels across the firm.
“The knowledge, experience, and leadership skills of our people play a vital role in our continued efforts to provide the highest standards of service to our clients”.
Kristian Robinson, Spruson & Ferguson Managing Director – Asia, said: “Each promotion signifies not only the individual’s personal growth but also their ability to deliver exceptional results for our team and our clients.
“These promotions, paired with our recent opening of our Philippines office, further strengthens our presence in Asia, delivering consistent organic growth, and an even stronger network in the region.”
Dr. Andrew Blattman, IPH Managing Director and CEO, said: “We pride ourselves in partnering with the world’s leading brands to protect their innovations in expanding markets, and our talented people are central to delivering on this purpose.”
2023 Principal Promotions
Spruson & Ferguson (Australia)
Andrew Rankine – Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Andrew is a specialist in intellectual property disputes. His practice focuses on the life sciences. Andrew has particular expertise in handling complex patent disputes for global leaders in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical device industries. He has acted in a number of Australia’s leading cases in this area, for clients including Sanofi, Wyeth, Zoetis, Samsung Bioepis, Novozymes, Smith & Nephew, ResMed, and Cochlear. Andrew’s cases typically relate to products with annual revenues in the 10s to 100s of millions of dollars.
Spruson & Ferguson (Asia)
Charis Lam – Trade Marks
Charis holds a Juris Doctor and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Charis has experience in trade mark prosecution, protection and enforcement in Hong Kong, China and other Asian regions. She advises on trade mark portfolio management, filing strategies, and brand clearance. Her practice also covers trade mark opposition, revocation and invalidation, trade mark enforcement and passing-off actions, as well as domain name disputes in Hong Kong and China.
Vivian Or – Trade Marks
Vivian holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of London and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from the University of Hong Kong. Vivian has extensive experience in trade mark prosecution, protection and enforcement in Hong Kong, China and other jurisdictions. She advises on trade mark portfolio management, filing strategies, brand protection and brand clearance. Her practice also covers trade mark opposition, revocation and invalidation, trade mark enforcement and passing-off actions, as well as domain name matters in Hong Kong, China and other jurisdictions.
Additional 2023 Promotions
Spruson & Ferguson (Australia)
Senior Associate
- Brendan Mezzapica, Engineering/ ICT
- Dr. Marie Kidd, Chemical/Life Sciences
Associate
- Connie Land, Engineering/ ICT
- Taryn Francis, Legal
Spruson & Ferguson (Asia)
Special Counsel
- Xiaoli Liu, Chemical/Life Sciences
Senior Associate
- Brynn Bei, Chemical/Life Sciences
Associate
- Dr. Vivian Ng, Chemical/Life Sciences
About Spruson & Ferguson
Spruson & Ferguson is one of the largest IP service providers in the Asia-Pacific. As a leading Asia-Pacific IP firm, we have offices in Australia, China (Beijing and Hong Kong), Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as well as direct filing capabilities in Brunei, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Over the years, Spruson & Ferguson has established itself as a regional IP hub, offering the highest standard of service to our clients throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Spruson & Ferguson companies are members of the IPH Group, which comprises a network of professional services firms operating under a number of brands across ten jurisdictions.
About IPH Limited
IPH is an international IP services group, comprising a network of member firms working in ten IP jurisdictions and servicing more than 25 countries. The group includes leading IP firms AJ Park, Griffith Hack, Pizzeys, Smart & Biggar, Spruson & Ferguson and online IP services provider Applied Marks. IPH employs more than 1,200 people working in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.