Adams & Adams’ partner Darren Olivier has been voted as the only intellectual property strategist recognised for his work on the African continent.

The world’s leading IP strategists have been named in the online edition of a unique guide published by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM).

IAM Strategy 300 lists individuals that in-depth research has shown to possess world class skills in the development and roll-out of strategies that maximise the value of patent, copyright, trademark and other IP rights. Olivier was recognised by the publication for his focus on strategic brand protection and IP commercialisation.

Olivier’s work has also been recognised by Who's Who Legal, Chambers Global, WTR 1000, Legal 500 and others. He is IP advisor to the King of the Zulu nation and sits on the editorial board of Oxford University’s Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice. You can also catch him as Afro Leo on the Afro-IP weblog, which he started a few years ago.

IAM researchers in the United States, Europe and Asia spoke to a wide range of senior corporate IP managers, as well as third-party IP service providers, in order to identify these IP leaders: men and women whose business is the creation, development and deployment of strategies that enable IP owners to gain maximum value from their portfolios. Only those individuals nominated multiple times by different parties as outstanding IP strategists are listed in the IAM Strategy 300.

“As in previous years, we have dedicated significant editorial and research resources to ensure we identify only world class IP strategists, so we are confident that all those named in the IAM Strategy 300 2105 fully merit the recognition that they have received,” says IAM editor Joff Wild. “With intellectual property now central to the success of so many companies across the globe, we are delighted that this publication has become the recognised source of reference for those seeking to identify the world’s leading IP strategists. We salute every one of them.”

Written by Megan Larter, PR for Adams & Adams