Meet Kevin, who has over two decades of experience in Intellectual Property (IP) law. He has safeguarded valuable brands for clients in Singapore and across the globe. Admitted as a solicitor in both Singapore and England and Wales, he has been instrumental in helping businesses—from start-ups to international enterprises—protect and grow their most valuable assets. His expertise spans trade mark strategy, protection, enforcement and transactions, and collaborative brand building and commercialisation with professionals across industries.
Beyond the courtrooms and boardrooms, Kevin is a passionate mental wellness advocate, shaped by deeply personal life experiences. From navigating unexpected loss to overcoming personal challenges, he has emerged with a profound belief in resilience, self-discovery, and community support. Today, he channels his professional discipline and personal insights into encouraging others to find strength in adversity and strive toward becoming their best selves.
You have over 20 years of experience in intellectual property law and are admitted as a solicitor in both Singapore and England and Wales. What initially drew you to specialise in IP law?
How I got into IP when I first started practice goes back to my time studying law at university. I happened to take an IP-related module taught by a charismatic and inspiring lecturer, and my interest in IP grew from that point. I decided to join a firm specialising in IP from the outset.
I had been curious about brands from a young age, often enjoying looking at them while walking through shopping malls. Once I entered practice, it was rewarding to relate my work to what I was seeing outside—shops with local and international brands, including household and luxury brand names, which I had helped protect for clients as registered trade marks.
A particularly satisfying experience early on in my career was when I helped a foreign MNC successfully protect an unconventional brand, a mobile ringtone, as Singapore’s first sound mark registration. Then, there was a trade mark case where I successfully argued against a veteran lawyer with decades’ more IP practice than me. Such positive work outcomes cemented in my mind that IP was here to stay as the focal point of my legal practice.
You have worked with businesses expanding regionally and internationally. Can you share one memorable case where IP protection significantly impacted a company’s growth?
A significant case I can think of involves a homegrown skincare product brand. When the company first came to me, they were starting from scratch but had a business ready to take the local and overseas markets by storm.
I put in place a brand protection programme, securing their trade marks locally and internationally. Today, they are an established name here and abroad, and I am proud to have been a part of their success story.
With effective portfolio management and legal strategy, they have been able to strongly expand their product range and reach with confidence, while continuing to work with me to safeguard and maintain their trade mark rights.
In today’s business climate, what are the most common mistakes SMEs make when it comes to IP protection?
I can think of two. The first is doing nothing—some SMEs operate for years without securing protection for crucial aspects of their IP portfolio. I often step in to rescue the situation and secure the protection they need.
The second is assuming they can always handle IP protection themselves. While that sometimes seems to work, it can be a risky business to leave things too much to chance. The process is more complex than it appears, especially when structuring applications and strategising overseas protection.
Different countries have different IP laws, and without proper guidance, things can become complicated quickly.
Sometimes, instead of suffering in silence, giving up can be a strength and an act of self-respect, especially in situations where there is no longer anything really worth fighting for, all things considered.
You work with branding consultants, franchising specialists, and other professionals. How important is cross-industry collaboration in protecting and maximising IP value?
Collaboration is key to achieving clients’ goals. For example, branding consultants can help businesses conceptualise a brand that not only resonates as their badge of origin but is also registrable as a trade mark. Working hand-in-hand ensures both creative and legal considerations are met.
In franchising, there are two aspects—business and legal, and neither of them are dispensable. Collaboration between franchise business consultants, and franchise legal consultants like me, is essential to optimise the stability and effectiveness of franchise businesses, as well as drive their value and growth.
You have gone through deeply challenging personal experiences which have led to positive transformation in your life. How have those trials and tribulations changed your outlook on life?
I view them as times when I learnt a great deal about myself and the people around me. They made me reflect deeply on the Kevin that I had become and buttressed my resolve to rediscover and return to my true self again…the real and authentic me. While troubling and traumatic, those times made me stronger, more resilient, and more determined to become the best version of myself and be the happiest that I can be, for the sake of myself and those who matter to me.
At the same time, they have emboldened me to embrace independence and generally live life on my terms. I am grateful for and contented to have my close family and inner circle who fundamentally align with me and what I stand for, as I see no point pleasing or getting up close and personal with everyone.
You describe yourself as a mental wellness advocate. In your opinion, what do you think is true happiness and self-worth?
Like I expressed earlier, I believe that true happiness comes from self-discovery and reflection—finding out who you really are. Being truly happy is when you are your authentic self and not trying to be someone you are not.
It also comes from staying positive; true happiness is in your mindset, and positivity is the key to starting the soul engine right for your spiritual and emotional well-being through life’s journey. Being truly happy is about being joyful and contented about who you are, regardless of loss, failure or whatever else life may throw at you.
As for self-worth, for me, it has been shaped by both the challenges I encountered, and those of my own making. Regarding the latter, by pushing beyond imaginary boundaries of my own making, I assumed various leadership roles and responsibilities despite being very introverted by nature, and through such experiences realised that what you are capable of achieving is not cast in stone if you have that fire of self-worth in you.
Self-worth is also about reflecting on anything or anyone weighing you down, and whether it might be time to move on. Sometimes, instead of suffering in silence, giving up can be a strength and an act of self-respect, especially in situations where there is no longer anything really worth fighting for, all things considered.
What advice would you give to professionals in high-stress roles who may be experiencing burnout but feel unable to step away?
Being in a high-stress role myself, I’m very conscious of the importance of self-care, and I make it a point to keep burnout at bay through small but consistent actions. I allow myself quiet time, whether it’s breakfast, scenic strolls, reading or listening to music at night.
I also believe in doing something different regularly. For me, that often happens when I travel for work—I will find time for a run, using it as a way to stay fit, explore and take pictures of refreshing new surroundings, and have some time alone while listening to music.
Everyone can have their own “something different”; finding and practising it could make a crucial difference in helping prevent burnout, by keeping you rejuvenated and renewed.
What’s your vision for Singapore in the next five years?
It is that we become a more open and giving society—looking beyond our own selves to others in the community who are in need and offering help in whatever way we can, because everyone counts. If it’s not just about “me”, and we stand together as one united people, Singapore can be truly home sweet home for us and generations to come.
In keeping with this vision of mine, I have a personal commitment to giving back to society, whether it is by being there for those in my professional, business and residents’ networks, or supporting the needy or less fortunate through proactive volunteering.
If you could have a superpower for one day, what would it be and why?
I would like the power to go back in time to relive a day in the good old times, and to live it up in a special way that makes it an even better day, by cherishing it more.
Connect with Kevin: LinkedIn.
Kevin is a member of Rainmaker, a revolutionary movement that rallies like-minded people together based on the values of Love, Authenticity, Respect, Kindness and Youthfulness (LARKY).
