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Wilmari Strachan is an Executive at ENS in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (“TMT”) practice. She specialises in information and communications technology (“ICT”) law, including the related technical, commercial, compliance, business, customer and performance management aspects.  She has a special interest in technology, telecommunications, consumer protection laws, data privacy, software and application (“app”) development, mergers and acquisitions ("M&A") structures and cross-Africa and cross-continental services.

Wilmari was previously the head of legal services at a major South African telecommunications company, where she was in charge of the legal, regulatory and compliance division. This experience provided Wilmari with an excellent understanding and deep knowledge of the technology, internet and telecommunications legislative and regulatory environment. This includes an in-depth knowledge of industry-specific legislation and codes, as well as legislation with a more operational impact on businesses, enabling her to provide clients with holistic, practical advice.

Wilmari has acted for various large listed companies in the IT industry and retail sector, and has significant experience in negotiating and drafting complex information and communications technology agreements, including sub-marine cable landing and partnering agreements,  international capacity agreements, roaming and managed network agreements, facilities leasing agreements, peering agreements, cloud computing agreements and outsourcing agreements. Wilmari had also acted in various telecommunication disputes, including complex disputes relating to call termination and transit charges, number porting and facilities leasing. 

In addition, Wilmari has advised on the structuring of various merger and acquisition (M&A) and funding transactions in the ICT industry, providing advice on the expeditious transfer of business while considering relevant regulatory and licensing conditions. Notable contributions include providing guidance on major restructuring and M&A transactions in the telecoms industry, including regulatory due diligence and risk reporting.

She has assisting leading banks, corporates, and parastatals in embracing technology, encompassing services such as AI, fintech products, becoming MVNOs, structuring as wholesale resellers of tech products and services and obtaining appropriate licenses.

Wilmari has assisted various corporates and multination entities to take their business on-line, has published various articles on e-commerce and created a compliance toolkit for e-commerce platforms.

She has been involved in ground-breaking innovation and technology advancements in the South African internet market, and has served on the management committee of the Internet Service Providers Association of South Africa.

Wilmari has presented various seminars, workshop and training on data privacy, access and security.  Wilmari has implemented numerous data privacy compliance programmes and conducted compliance audits for clients. She has drafted various agreements and policies in respect of data privacy, access and security. Wilmari has also written and published articles on data privacy, access and security.

Wilmari is recognised as a leading/recommended lawyer by:

 

• BProc (LLB) (University of South Africa)
• Globalisation, Lawyers and Emerging Economies (Harvard Law School)
• Developing Personal Agenda (Harvard Law School)
• Five Forces of Excellence for In-house Counsel (Harvard Law School)
• Strategy and Alignment of Internal Service Providers (Harvard Law School)
• Certificate in Finance for Non-financial Managers (University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business)
• Admitted as an attorney and conveyancer of the High Court of South Africa
• Qualified mediator (Family Mediators’ Association of the Cape)