D.HAPPI AVOCATS

Legal Advice & Compliance

Managing Director

Vanessa de HAPPI is a Lawyer, member of the Bars of Cameroon and Quebec with over 15 years of transactional experience and cutting-edge expertise in a broad range of corporate law and governance, compliance, private equity, OHADA and Business law practices in both Canada and Cameroon.

After practicing for several years as a compliance lawyer with one of Canada's largest financial groups (Desjardins Group), then in the litigation group of a prestigious international business law firm (Norton Rose Fulbright), Ms de HAPPI joined D.HAPPI Avocats in 2017 as Of Counsel where she single-handedly developed the Advisory & Business Corporate practice.

Throughout her career, Vanessa has been involved in high-profile advisory and litigation cases, both in Cameroon and Canada. She assists the firm's clients on legal and regulatory compliance in various fields (anti-money laundering, CIMA insurance regulation, personal data protection, other national, OHADA or CEMAC laws), as well as on OHADA corporate governance. She pleads before civil, commercial, administrative, and community courts in matters relating to business law. She is also a Certified Mediator in OHADA Commercial Law, well-versed in alternative dispute resolution methods.

Since returning to Cameroon, Vanessa de Happi advises foreign investors in expanding their activities in Cameroon and several other Central and West African countries. In addition, her experience working with the main local captains of industry has enabled her to develop in-depth knowledge of the issues involved in the governance of businesses in the African context. Over the last five years, she has also developed an in-depth knowledge of companies operating in the logistics and transport sector, with 4 of the 5 largest global players in the industry being clients of the firm.

A strong advocate for legal innovation, Vanessa played a key role in promoting compliance and digital transformation in the legal sector. In November 2019, she organized the 2nd edition of the Douala Legal Tech Forum in partnership with the Legal Tech Africa association and the French start-up Seraphin Legal. The event, held at GICAM (Cameroon's main employers' group), focused on "Legal and Regulatory Compliance in the CEMAC Zone and New Technologies" and brought together nearly 200 professionals from legal and financial departments of major local companies.

Vanessa is creative, forward-thinking, quick to anticipate potential issues, and has a strong understanding of how much the legal profession is evolving. Her skills, coupled with her deep knowledge of the business environment in Africa and its legal challenges, have earned her consistent recognition among the 100 most influential business lawyers in French-speaking Africa by Jeune Afrique and Africa Business. She was also named Chambers & Partners Up and Coming Lawyer of the Year in Africa (2024) and is frequently ranked as a Leading Lawyer and a Legal Partner by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.

She is currently the Managing Director at D.HAPPI AVOCATS.

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Vanessa de HAPPI is a member of the Quebec Bar and the Cameroon Bar, actively bridging legal expertise between North America and . She is also a member of GECAM, Cameroon’s leading Employer’s association, and is currently pursuing an Executive MBA, further strengthening her strategic and business acumen.

SKEMA Business School Executive MBA in Business Administration and Management 2024 - 2026

McGill University Certification in OHADA Commercial Mediation 2018

École du Barreau du Quebec Certification in Law 2010 - 2011

Université de Montréal Certificate in Quebec Civil Law 2009 - 2010

Université de Montpellier Master’s Degree in International Business Law 2007 - 2008

Université de Sherbrooke LL.M in Common Law and Transnational Law 2007 – 2008

Vanessa de HAPPI is a Lawyer, a member of the Bars of Cameroon and Quebec with over 15 years of transactional experience and cutting-edge expertise in a broad range of corporate law and governance, compliance, private equity, OHADA, and Business law practices in both Canada and Cameroon.

Vanessa de HAPPI is an active contributor to legal and business discussions across Africa. She regularly shares her expertise on compliance, corporate governance, and dispute resolution through high-level conferences and professional forums. Her recent engagements include co-leading a panel on compliance and risk management at the African Business Lawyers’ Congress (COJA) in Cotonou, participating in a scientific seminar of the Cameroonian Bar on corporate compliance and legal risk management, and serving as moderator of a roundtable organized during the CMAG Excellence in Advocacy Award at the GECAM headquarters in Douala on the theme "How can a culture of alternative dispute resolution be developed within Cameroonian companies?” She also spoke at the 4th African Woman 2.0 Weekend in Ghana, where she addressed business leadership and legal issues alongside leading African decision-makers.

These contributions and publications are available on our firm's platforms and on her LinkedIn profile.