New Zealand Intellectual
Property Attorneys Inc
Council
The Council, under the rules, manage the affairs of the Institute. The Council comprises a President, a Vice-President and 7 other Fellows. Council is elected each year (generally in November) at the Annual General Meeting, with all councillors being eligible for re-election except the President after a two-year term as such.
Council meets monthly in either Wellington or Auckland throughout the year.
The current council of NZIPA is detailed below.
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Elena SzentivanyiPresident, NZIPA
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Tom RobertsonVice President, NZIPA
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Britta FromowCouncil, NZIPA
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Damon ButlerCouncil, NZIPA
Damon is a principal at AJ Park and has worked in the intellectual property field since 1998. Damon is a Barrister and Solicitor and Registered Patent Attorney. Damon specialises in advising a broad range of New Zealand and overseas clients on all aspects of trade mark law and practice. |
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Andrew ScottCouncil, NZIPAJames & Wells, Christchurch Officeemail andrews@jaws.co.nzAndrew worked for Davies Collison Cave (Australia) for 8 years before commencing with James & Wells in Christchurch, where he has lived for the past 6 years. He is passionate about providing solid, commercially relevant intellectual property strategies to reduce environmental impact, improve human and animal health, develop high-tech devices and build infrastructure for the future. Andrew has a PhD in Organic Chemistry and a Masters in Intellectual Property Law. |
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Duncan de GeestCouncil, NZIPAAJ Park, Wellington Officeemail duncan.degeest@ajpark.comDuncan joined AJ Park’s Wellington office in 2001. He registered as a Patent Attorney in 2004 and is also a Barrister and Solicitor. A patent law specialist with particular expertise in the area of chemical innovations, Duncan advises a wide range of New Zealand and international clients. He has a BSc (Hons) and PhD in chemistry. Duncan is a member of the Wellington District Law Society, the New Zealand Law Society and the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. He regularly attends meetings of other intellectual property focussed organisations, including IPSANZ and IPO. |
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Thomas HuthwaiteCouncil, NZIPAAJ Park, Wellington Officeemail thomas.huthwaite@ajpark.com Thomas is a Barrister and Solicitor, a registered Patent Attorney, and an Australian Patent & Trade Mark Attorney. He started his career in 2010, specialising in dispute resolution, litigation, and commercialisation of intellectual property generally. He is a member of the New Zealand Law Society, and the IPSANZ local and trans-Tasman committees. Thomas represents a wide range of local and overseas clients across various industries; he is particularly passionate about local business, the Wellington hospitality industry, and the arts. |
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Stephanie GrantCOUNCIL, NZIPAWellington UniVenturesemail stephanie.grant@wellingtonuniventures.nz Stephanie started her IP career in 2011 at Baldwins Intellectual Property before moving to an in-house position Victoria Link Limited (now Wellington UniVentures), the commercialisation office of Victoria University of Wellington in 2018. Stephanie is responsible for the management of intellectual property that arises out of academic research.
Stephanie has a PhD in Chemistry and is a registered trans Tasman Patent Attorney, and represents in-house attorneys at NZIPA.
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Hazell FernandezCOUNCIL, NZIPAjames & wells, Auckland OFFICEemail hazell.fernandez@jamesandwells.com Hazell joined James & Well’s Auckland Patents Team in2017. She registered as a Patent Attorney in 2021 and has a degree in Biomedical Engineering as well as a Master of Laws. Hazell’s work focuses on patent prosecution, drafting patent specifications and patent research. Hazell provides advice in relation to a range of mechanical and electrical technologies, particularly medical technology. |
Matt Adams
email madams@fbrice.com.au |
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NZIPA representatives on IPONZ Technical Focus Groups |
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Trade marks TFG Representative |
Tom Robertson Pipers, Lower Hutt Office |
Hearings TFG Representative |
Elena Szentivanyi Henry Hughes, Wellington Email elena@henryhughes.co.nz |
Patents TFG Reporter |
Duncan de Geest AJ Park, Wellington |