“I often forget that Kathy is only in the early stages of her career, as she demonstrates skills beyond her years,” says one of Kathy Janevska’s senior colleagues at Canva, the fast-growing Australia-based graphic design platform.

Janevska advises Canva across a range of intellectual property and commercial matters, such as Digital Millennium Copyright Act requests, marketing campaigns, and terms and conditions.

Janevska, who was previously an associate at MinterEllison in Sydney, made the transition from private practice work in June 2022. She entered the world of law as a graduate at Mitry Lawyers before spending three years at MinterEllison.

The transition from private practice to in-house can always be a challenge, and the two are of course very different. In fact, many people make the move much later in their careers.

Nevertheless, we are told that Janevska has excelled at developing relationships with her stakeholders and is very commercial in her approach.

She tells Managing IP: “As an IP legal counsel, I’m lucky to be a part of bringing Canva’s mission to empower the world of design to life.

“I help the team deliver global marketing campaigns, as well as live events where we share the inspiring stories of Canva’s vibrant community.

“As a key adviser on Canva’s IP infringement policies, I take pride in helping to protect the rights of creatives,” she adds.