I returned to Fellows and Associates last week following maternity leave and what better way to ease myself back in to work than a morning celebrating the past ten years of the fantastic ED&I initiative, IP Inclusive. The morning took the form of an on line coffee catch up with likeminded professionals from across the UK discussing what IP Inclusive means to us and how it has impacted our careers over the years.
The morning started with a brief introduction from Andrea Brewster OBE before we moved into smaller breakout rooms to allow for more intimate conversation. The participants in my group were all at different stages in their career and came from a variety of backgrounds in IP, allowing for a really interesting range of perspectives and experience on how people are involved in the initiative.
One of our main discussion points was how IP Inclusive has been integral in opening up the industry to conversation between peer groups at different firms, something that was once seen as somewhat of a taboo in such a small profession. If you trained, qualified, and remained at the same firm for some time, there was always a risk of a blinkered view of your future career and what potential issues you would have to overcome due to personal circumstances. IP Inclusive has not only helped create awareness and a safe forum for professionals in the industry to voice and confront their struggles within their own firms, it has sparked dialogue across the industry as a whole to ensure that obstacles are dealt with and minimised moving forward.
Another topic we discussed was the importance of increasing awareness of careers in intellectual property through education outreach and mentoring schemes. IP Inclusive’s Careers in Ideas and Mentoring Hub have been integral in opening up the industry to a wider demographic, again promoting the ethos of making the IP community more equal, diverse, and inclusive.
All in all, it was a great morning spent celebrating an initiative that Fellows and Associates is hugely invested in. Of course, the issues we discussed havenโt been eradicated completely, which highlighted the importance of IP Inclusiveโs continued efforts to have more professionals and their firms involved across the industry. It really is a case of the larger the audience, the more impactful the change, so if you havenโt already participated in an IP Inclusive event or would like to get yourself and your firm involved, please visit https://ipinclusive.org.uk/. They rely on volunteers, support, and the kind donations from the IP community, and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Phillipa Holland