An Inclusivity Unlocked! webinar
with the IP Inclusive communities
Tuesday 27 September 2022
12.30 – 1.30 pm
This was part ii of our Inclusivity Unlocked! panel discussion on post-Covid inclusivity for under-represented groups.
In our April 2022 annual meeting, many of our stakeholders told us they wanted help with post-lockdown working arrangements. This is why we came up with Inclusivity Unlocked!, a banner under which we will be hosting a programme of events and resources to help organisations build back more inclusively after the pandemic. You can find out more about the project here. There’s also an up-to-date list of scheduled and past events, with links to associated follow-up resources, here.
To kick things off, we hosted online panel discussions with representatives from our communities and support networks, who shared their experiences of working arrangements post-Covid and the challenges faced by the people they represent. Together they explored how they believe organisations can make workplaces and working arrangements more inclusive for those groups.
In this second part, we heard from IP Ability, IP Futures and Women in IP. Part i of the discussion took place the week before, on Tuesday 20 September, and talked with IP & ME, the IP Non-traditional Family Network and IP Out: see here.
Meet the panel
Our panellists for the part ii event were:
- Sanam Habib (IP Futures), who is a trainee patent attorney at HGF focusing on European and UK patent prosecution. Sanam has a BSc in Chemistry for Forensic Sciences from the University of Bradford, a GDL in law from BPP Law School, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Law from Bournemouth University.
- Megan Rannard (IP Ability), who is a Registered and Chartered Trademark Attorney at Marks & Clerk. Megan is on the IP Inclusive Advisory Board and has a first class honours law degree from the University of Kent.
- Lucy Samuels (Women in IP), who is a Director (Patents) at Gill Jennings & Every and was previously a partner there for 20 years. Lucy is a European and UK Patent Attorney and specialises in the chemical, FMCG and chemical engineering fields.
The discussion was chaired by IP Inclusive intern Susan Nelson, who is coordinating the Inclusivity Unlocked! campaign.
Who was it for?
This event was open to all UK-based IP professionals who are interested in understanding more about how workplaces and working arrangements can be made more inclusive post-Covid. It didn’t matter who you worked for, your role or your seniority. The discussions were likely to be of particular value to those involved in HR and office management, and also to anyone who wants to be an ally for colleagues in less well-represented groups.
Follow-up resources
A recording of the webinar is available here, and a report of both the part i and part ii events here.
Click on the images below to download some top practical tips we’ve distilled from the two events, for organisations, individuals and managers.
We also have a list of all Inclusivity Unlocked! events and resources, here, and a compilation of “top tips” here. If you’d like to have your say on themes or formats for future events in the series, please let us know via our short survey.
Cost
This event was free. So are all our resources. We think it’s important to keep IP Inclusive on the right side of the paywall.
That said, we do need money to keep the show on the road, so if you enjoyed the event please consider contributing to our 2022-23 fundraising campaign. For more information – including about corporate donations – visit our fundraising page.