IP & ME Present
Black History Month: Honouring Our Communities
Wednesday 28 October 2026
5.30 – 8.00 pm, London
IP & ME are celebrating Black History Month, and this year’s theme “Honouring our Communities”, with an in-person event at Mathys and Squire’s London office in the Shard. Join IP & ME for a panel discussion followed by an opportunity to catch up with familiar faces and meet new people over drinks and nibbles.
The panel discussion will be live streamed if you would prefer to join remotely. Why not get a group together and have your own networking event afterwards?
Meet the speakers
Banke Opebiyi
Banke is the International Strategy and Coordination Lead at the Intellectual Property Office and has spent the past seven years working across government in strategy, policy and product delivery roles. Her career began in education, where she worked as a teacher before becoming a Head of Department. This experience shaped her commitment to leadership, inclusion and public service. Banke is also the Chair of the IPO’s Multicultural Ethnicity & Racial Inclusion network, leading initiatives that support diversity, inclusion and belonging across the organisation. She is passionate about psychological safety and supporting people to reach their potential, using her voice to create positive change within her organisation and community.
Jared Martin
Jared Martin is a Commercial Litigation Solicitor at Thrings LLP, working across the firm’s Bristol, Swindon and London offices and representing clients nationwide. Since qualifying in March 2024, he has advised a diverse range of clients on commercial disputes, with particular experience in intellectual property litigation.
Jared regularly assists clients with protecting, enforcing and defending their intellectual property rights, including trade mark and copyright infringement claims. He also has experience advising on wider brand protection strategies and disputes involving the misuse of confidential information.
Jared is passionate about supporting businesses, entrepreneurs and creatives in protecting their intellectual property and navigating complex disputes.
Kingsley Egbuonu
Kingsley Egbuonu helps law firms and organisations achieve recognition in IP rankings and awards. He is a legal industry writer and commentator, and a co-founder of the IP Marketing Alliance (IPMA), a global community for IP marketing and BD professionals. Kingsley is also a CMC-registered mediator specialising in IP, workplace, and employment disputes. Previously, he spent over 11 years at Managing IP, where he built IP STARS and the Managing IP Awards into two of the IP industry’s leading rankings and awards brands.
Abdulmalik Lawal (Chair)
Abdulmalik Lawal is a dual-qualified Patent and Trade Mark Attorney at Franks & Co with over 20 years’ experience in general patent agency, and over 10 years’ experience in general trade mark agency. Abdulmalik is a representative before the European Patent Office (EPO), the UK Intellectual Property Office (incorporating the UK Trade Marks Registry and the UK Designs Registry), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
Timings
- 5.30 pm: Registration
- 6.00 pm: Panel
- 7.00 pm: Drinks
- 8.00 pm: End
Who is it for?
This event is open to all IP professionals, regardless of gender, role or career level, including paralegals, IT specialists, marketing and finance teams, media and recruitment professionals, administrators, HR colleagues, and more. We encourage all attendees to consider inviting a colleague along, particularly someone who hasn’t been involved in IP Inclusive before.
Cost and registration
This event is free. So are all our resources. That said, we do need money to keep the show on the road, so if you are able please consider choosing a voluntary donation ticket or visiting our Just Giving page.
If you have any access requirements, please do get in touch with us at [email protected].
Please note that you will need to bring photo ID to be allowed in. Please allow plenty of time to get through the entry procedures and make your way to Mathys & Squire.
If you are making a donation, you do not need to book a free ticket as well.
We are currently experiencing problems accepting donations via Eventbrite. If you would like to donate, please book a free ticket and donate separately via our Just Giving Page.