Spoor & Fisher appoints Gcaba as chair and opens new office in Cameroon

South African IP firm Spoor & Fisher has made Nolwazi Gcaba chairperson, replacing Charles Webster, who had fulfilled the role since 2008.

Gcaba, who specialises in trademarks, trade practices and related litigation, is the first woman to chair Spoor & Fisher, and the first black woman to be elected chair of any large law firm in South Africa.

“Gender and affirmative action are both transformation issues which have been embraced by Spoor & Fisher,” said Gcaba.

“My appointment is a reflection of how forward-thinking the firm is, despite the legal profession being male-dominated.”

She added: “The area of IP in which Spoor & Fisher specialises has historically been dominated by a very few white firms. It is therefore important for us to work hard at eliminating prejudice and creating a culture of inclusive diversity, with particular focus on bringing women and the historically disadvantaged into the firm.”

Hard on the heels of that announcement, the firm announced the opening of a Cameroon office to service the 16 member countries of the African Organisation of Intellectual Property (OAPI). The office is headed by Professor Ephraim Ngwafor, who said: “I am proud to become part of the Spoor & Fisher network and to have the opportunity to develop my practice with such a broad international blue-chip client base.

"The combination of our intellectual capital, local market knowledge and established relationships with the registries in the OAPI countries, gives Spoor & Fisher a clear competitive advantage in the region.”