On 25 November 2024, we hosted an event from our Senior Leaders’ Diversity Think Tank on ‘Allyship for Leaders’. A panel of high-profile speakers came together to share their thoughts about allyship in the IP professions, and how we can all support the EDI movement from whatever position we personally occupy. The panel provided an entertaining discussion on this topic and shared various personal anecdotes.
The event was chaired by Gwilym Roberts and the panellists were:
- Sir Colin Birss, Court of Appeal judge,
- Vandita Chandrani from Elekta AB, and
- Suzanne Oliver from Scintilla.
A packed house at the event.
Access a recording of the webinar here and read on for our summary of the key outcomes. All quotes in italics below are taken from the event.
Think of a time when you were discriminated against and how that felt
If you can’t recall a time, consider what that means in terms of your understanding of the experiences of those around you.
I couldn’t [think of a time when I was discriminated against]. It was an absolute eye-opener. And that’s when I thought there’s a massive hole in my understanding. That was the beginning of when I thought that I haven’t got the first clue. I didn’t know what the problem is. [Gwilym Roberts]
What does it mean to be an ally?
Being an ally means recognising that some people face more challenges and obstacles than others, simply because of who they are.
It means recognising that we are both privileged and diverse at the same time:
- Everyone is diverse in some way or other.
- Everyone is privileged/advantaged in some way or other.
It means using your advantage to help make someone else’s path a little easier or better.
If you can help just one person feel as if they can be a little bit more themselves in the workplace, and it’s not going to hurt you to do so, then why wouldn’t you be an ally? [Vandita Chandrani]
Everyone can be an ally to someone.
The point of it is that we can all do it. This can be done. You can do it, and you should, and I hope you do. It really, really matters. [Sir Colin Birss]
10 Key Takeaways
(1) Self-awareness – understand and know yourself. In particular, identify the advantages you have and the areas where you hold power. For example, think of your age, position, role, gender, sexuality, disability, neurodiversity, health, and so on. Consider areas where you might hold bias – the Harvard implicit bias test can help you see in which areas you unconsciously judge people and help you understand why.
Allyship is about self-reflection. One of the very first things you need to do is understand the power that you have. [Suzanne Oliver]
(2) Don’t make assumptions about others. People are never what they seem – there is always something you don’t know. Are you unconsciously making assumptions?
(3) Open up about the bits of yourself that you don’t usually talk about. An advantage of holding a senior position is that you can get away with this. By doing so, you are making it permissible for others to do the same and creating a space where conversations can happen.
(4) Talk to people and listen, be interested. Enquire from people what life looks like for them, what their day is like, the challenges they face. Listen to their stories. Find out what it’s like to walk in their shoes. It’s awkward to start these conversations, they can be really difficult, but it is really worthwhile.
(5) Take opportunities, like “reverse” (or 360) mentoring, where someone in an under-represented group or less advantaged position mentors someone in a different position (often someone more senior). It recognises learning opportunities on both sides of any mentoring relationship. One of our panellists talked about being reverse mentored by a junior member of their sector:
Having thought about the experience of someone wearing a hijab in a county court in England and Wales in front of a judge who’s male, much older, whatever, what that experience is actually like – that’s not an experience I’d ever thought about and it’s a real eye opener and that’s very powerful. It feels powerful. In a sense I’m completely destabilised by it. [Sir Colin Birss]
(6) Action is hard and can require careful thought and planning. Take it one step at a time. Think about the small things you can do.
Start small and build. [Suzanne Oliver]
(7) Educate those who are not aware. Spread the word and get others to take that first step. Encourage them to join these events. If you think someone could do better, gently reflect back to them what you see. Open the conversation.
(8) Try not to worry about getting it wrong. This isn’t about perfection. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable and your discomfort is ok. This isn’t about you.
Is it going to hurt you? [Vandita Chandrani]
(9) Ask questions of your organisation. Do they check for bias in their communications? Do they recruit objectively for the skills that a role really requires?
(10) The culture of an organisation can really impact how people feel and act.
Inclusion is about making sure that the environment in that organisation is an environment in which diverse people can flourish. [Sir Colin Birss]
What next?
The truth is we still have so far to go with diversity and inclusion. We still have a lot to do. [Sir Colin Birss]
We invite you to explore our new *Allyship Guidelines*, spark important conversations within your teams, and reflect on how you can make a real impact in creating a more inclusive workplace.
Please share them with your colleagues and make them available to all staff on your company intranet.
Everyone in this room can be an ally. If you haven’t thought about it this can be your opportunity. This is really what I wanted to come here to do. [Sir Colin Birss]
Resources
EDI Starter Pack (part of which is specifically about the basics of allyship)
Allyship – what’s it all about? (A 2 minute video inspired by this event.)
Our Allyship playlist on YouTube, which features recordings of all our allyship-related webinars.
Further information
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Page published on 22nd January 2025
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