Stephan Malan is the Senior Legal Counsel for International Development Group’s activities on the African continent and has over 40 years of experience in legal matters. He is a senior Advocate at the High Court level and is the founding member and director of Skarva Consulting, a boutique Legal-Commercial Consulting Firm that advises niche IT and Tech startup Clients since 2013 in relation to Legal-Commercial matters. Mr. Malan will be spending 40% of his time supporting IDG’s initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa in the capacity of senior counsel and administrative advisor. He will ensure legal and financial compliance.

A qualified Attorney by profession, Stephan is duly admitted to practice in the High Court of South Africa, and as General Counsel is still a registered member in good standing of the South African Legal Practice Council (LPC), LPC Member # 87247 (https://lpc.org.za/members-of-the-public/list-of-legal-practitioners/)
Stephan graduated from leading Universities in South Africa with Masters' degrees in Mercantile Law (LLM) and Business Administration (MBA). He served as senior in-house General Counsel for one of South Africa’s largest IT Firms from 1982 until 1997 whereafter he practised as the managing partner of a Cape Town-based commercial law firm until 2013.

Stephan specializes in cross-border Mercantile Law in the fields of Information Technology and Cyber Law, Consumer Law, Data Protection Law, and Regulatory Compliance.
Stephan gained extensive international exposure to the fast-evolving IT systems development and IT business environment over the years and acted as leading counsel of various teams comprising legal and financial consultants concerning joint venture IT Projects in South Africa and internationally.
The combination of Stephan's extensive commercial and legal exposure in the IT systems development and business environment, his academic training and his attention to Clients’ requirements enables him to have unique insights into the intricacies of Clients’ business and legal challenges and to assist with leveraging strategic business relationships.

Problem-solving, cost and turnaround efficiencies are achieved by seamlessly harnessing modern-day computing, virtual technologies, and research competencies.
Stephan is a devoted supporter of relational contracting and plain language drafting and promotes the principles of fair and good faith contracting in his dealings with Clients and their contracting parties.

Skarva Consulting is by law not entitled to act on behalf of Clients in relation to any litigious matters and we purposefully do not accept any briefs to resolve disputes.
We do not represent to do or conduct any work that is by law or regulation reserved for attorneys practicing in active legal practice in terms of the Legal Practice Act of South Africa, 28 of 2014 (as amended).
As a member of the LPC, Stephan is bound by the LPC's Code of Conduct in relation to the Legal-Commercial Consultancy Services provided to Clients, as gazetted from time to time and available to the public at the following web link (https://lpc.org.za/legal-practitioners/code-of-conduct/).