Lara Kayode

BIO

Lara Kayode is the founder and Managing Partner of O. Kayode & Co., a leading intellectual property boutique based in Lagos, Nigeria. She advises businesses and creative-sector stakeholders on brand creation, trade mark protection, intellectual
property enforcement, corporate matters and alternative dispute resolution—experience that brings a valuable legal and commercial perspective to conversations about building sustainable careers and businesses in Africa’s music industry.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992, Lara studied law at the University of Buckingham and earned an LLM in Intellectual Property Law from Queen Mary University of London in 1994. She developed her career through senior roles at leading Nigerian intellectual
property firms and is now recognised as one of the country’s foremost trade mark practitioners.

Her work spans the full life cycle of intellectual property—from developing and protecting brands to enforcing rights and resolving commercial disputes. A CEDR-accredited mediator since 2005, she also contributes extensive experience in negotiation and alternative dispute resolution.

Lara has held significant leadership roles within the International Trademark Association, including service on its Board of Directors and as Chair of several committees. Her professional affiliations include the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law, the Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group, the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, GALA—the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance—and AIPPI, where she serves as Vice-President of the Nigerian National Group.

Beyond legal practice, she is Vice-President of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce and Chairperson of its Trade and Investment Committee. She is legal counsel to FWIFT, an honorary board member of Lycée Français Louis Pasteur, and an independent non-executive director on several boards.

Her contributions have earned international recognition: she is ranked as an Eminent Practitioner by Chambers and Partners, was named MIP Trademark Practitioner of the Year in 2023, and is recognised as a WTR Global Leader. In 2019, she became the first
African woman of colour to receive the INTA President’s Award. She is also a Gaia Woman.