FPA is thrilled to announce the promotion of three attorneys, effective from 1 July 2022:
- Dr Danny Gelman to Associate Principal;
- David Kark to Senior Associate; and
- Dr Rohan Williams to Associate.
Managing Director, John Dower, extends his warm congratulations to all three attorneys, saying: “Danny, David and Rohan have all become invaluable assets to the FPA team. They are recognised leaders in their respective fields, and consistently deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients. We are very pleased to recognise their contributions to the firm in this way.”
When Danny first joined the Chemistry and Biology team as a Senior Associate in June 2019, he brought with him considerable technical expertise. Whilst completing his PhD in organic synthetic chemistry at Monash University, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and spent a year at Harvard as a visiting scientist. He then went on to work as a senior scientist in medicinal chemistry at Evotec in the UK, studying technology-based entrepreneurship concurrently at Oxford University.
Since joining FPA, Danny’s depth of knowledge across the organic and medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical sectors has been of significant benefit to the firm and its clients. He has become a highly trusted advisor, relied on for both his scientific and legal expertise.
Eager to commence work in his new role, he comments, “I am looking forward to contributing to the leadership of the firm, and taking on more responsibility towards growing and developing the team.”
David has been an integral part of the Physics and Engineering team at FPA since 2020. Holding both a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Renewable Energy and a Master of Engineering Science in Energy Systems from the University of New South Wales, he is well placed to assist with inventions addressing some of the world’s most pressing social and environmental issues. His education, coupled with his previous role as an engineering consultant on renewable electrical power generation, transmission and distribution, has been invaluable to the team’s expanding range of clients in the clean energy space.
David has proven to be a significant asset to the Physics and Engineering team, working in the fields of renewable energy and electrical power systems, and on software and photonics inventions. He also has expertise in industrial designs and contentious work, consistently demonstrating technical skill and strategic prowess.
Rohan completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Melbourne, before undertaking a PhD investigating the mechanism of mannosidases (synthesis of novel inhibitors and substrates).
Rohan went on to complete a two year post-doctoral placement at the University of Toronto, investigating several therapeutic projects in carbohydrate chemistry and biology, before returning to Melbourne to work as an analytical chemist for Intertek.
Since joining FPA in March 2018, Rohan has proven himself a valuable addition to the firm, thanks to his broad pedigree in chemistry. Rohan completed his Masters of IP in August 2021, and was registered as a patent attorney in April 2022, where he works across multiple areas of chemical technology, with particular expertise in medicinal chemistry for local inventors, research institutes, universities and large multinationals.
