Steve Le Feuvre - The end of an era at Lysaght
Many of you will have worked with Steve Le Feuvre during his many years of service with Lysaght. He’s now counting down the final few weeks here before embarking on
his well-deserved retirement. We asked Steve to share some insights into his time at Lysaght and what his plans for the future involve:
Can you tell us a bit about your longstanding career at Lysaght?
I joined Lysaght on 14th May 1989 as General Manager, having spent just over 4 years at CPA (Computer Patent Annuities).
In 2004 I became a Director and Shareholder, and then Managing Director in 2007. Being involved in a small and dynamic firm protecting I.P. rights for clients around the world, has been an absolute privilege and I couldn’t have wished for a better and more rewarding career.
Things must have changed during that time? What changes have you seen?
In the 1980s we relied on telexes, telegrams and registered mail for urgent matters, but very early on Lysaght embraced new technology by acquiring a telefax machine! The annoying sound of that analogue dialling tone will live long in my memory bank.
Very quickly, we developed a database for storing details of all our cases, but processing of files was still very much manual. In the mid to late-1990s the use of e-mail began, and along with the development of the Internet, this has totally revolutionised the way that businesses receive and process instructions.
I feel very proud that my working career has spanned possibly the biggest changes ever in office practices, and with the help of colleagues, I’ve managed to keep abreast of all the modern technology that comes with running a business in today’s world. We now have a state of the art “all singing and dancing” I.T. system and database, and our work systems are totally electronic.
You've visited many clients, agents and Registries around the world over the years. Did you enjoy the travel?
Yes, I have loved all the travel I have done, and as well as helping to develop Lysaght in to the company it is today, I’ve been privileged to be involved in leadership positions with INTA (the International Trademark Association) which when I started out was then called the United States Trademark Association (USTA). I have travelled to many countries on Lysaght business and representing INTA, mostly in Africa and Eastern Europe (at the time when the Soviet Union was breaking up in the early 1990s, and new laws were being developed in the evolving countries).
I have seen the good and the bad of government Registries, including rat-infested file storage rooms, which brings a whole new level of understanding as to why official files have gone “missing”.
You’ve worked with many people around the world during your long career. Will you keep in touch with some of them?
Yes, I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of clients and foreign associates over the years, and many of them have become friends for life. I thank them for their support, and I’ll definitely be keeping in touch.
Teamwork is everything, and I have been fortunate to be surrounded and supported by the most fabulous people during all of my time at Lysaght. I shall miss the daily interaction and banter with the dedicated team, and I have every confidence that they will drive the business on to greater heights in the future.
What are your plans for retirement?
Farming is in my DNA, and my passion for dairy farming, and Jersey cows in particular, has continued alongside my I.P. career over the past 40 years. As past President of both the World Jersey Cattle Bureau and the Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society, I am now Treasurer or both organisation, so that will keep me busy and involved.
I run or am involved with various charities in Africa, particularly in Kenya where I was raised until the age of nineteen, so I will continue to travel extensively combining that charitable work with “cow trips” to see my beloved Jersey cow and a vast network of friends around the world.
With an extensive collection of over 400 cacti and succulent plants, I look forward to having more time to propagate and nurture them in readiness for the four horticultural shows I exhibit at here in Jersey. And spending more time helping at the farm where I keep some of my own pedigree Jersey cows, is also going to be a high priority in my retirement plan.
I am writing a book about the history of my high school in Kenya, Nairobi School (formerly the Prince of Wales School) with one of my classmates from the 1970s, and we have a publication target date of October 2026. The school was founded in 1902, so it’s now a matter of delving into colonial and archive records in the UK and Kenya to establish and verify all the facts.
And, of course, I plan to spend more quality time with my family, particularly my two granddaughters who refer to me as “Bada”……. don’t ask, but let’s just say it came out of a one-year old trying to say Grandpa!
Steve, we wish you all the very best in this exciting new chapter in your life, and hope you will keep in touch with us here at Lysaght as well as your colleagues around the world, to keep us posted on your adventures. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to Lysaght and to the IP industry over the decades…..we’ll miss you, and we’ll certainly miss your colourful Christmas neckties!
