Rescheduled as an online event
Thursday 3 September 2020, 4 – 6 pm
Our topic
Why gather diversity data? What are the benefits? What are the challenges, and how can we overcome them? And what are the data protection implications?
This free panel discussion and workshop explored the myths, the facts and the obstacles around D&I data gathering and sharing, with the aim of generating some practical guidelines for organisations looking to up their diversity game. Panellists from the patent, trade mark and general legal sectors shared their own experiences of D&I data collection and use, including advice on the legal aspects of gathering sensitive personal information.
This was also a chance to help decide what IP Inclusive does about D&I data reporting. Should individual Charter signatories collect their own data? Should IP Inclusive do it for the whole sector? What role should the regulators and membership bodies play? What can we learn from other sectors? Breakout sessions later in the event allowed us to exchange ideas and ensure the efforts of individual organisations could be complemented by the work IP Inclusive does in the wider IP community.
Our speakers
Our speakers were Jonathan Clarke, Director of Human Resources at Kilburn & Strode; data protection and employment lawyer Matthew Clayton of Willans solicitors; D&I specialist Stella Chandler from Focal Point Training; and Pauline Beck, Head of Social Research and Statistics at the UK Intellectual Property Office, who advised on general aspects of survey design and analysis.
Follow-up resources
You can watch a recording of the first part of the event (the panel discussion) here. Please ignore the last few minutes of the recording, which relate only to the setting up of the breakout rooms: the breakout sessions themselves were not recorded, to allow for more open discussions.
Our speakers have kindly provided some follow-up information, in particular links to resources available elsewhere. You can access that here. The outcomes of the breakout discussions are summarised here.