Overcoming Invisible Barriers
Women in IP Annual Event 2024
Wednesday 2 October 2024
5.30 for 6 pm
On behalf of the IP Inclusive Women in IP committee, we invited you to the Women in IP Annual Event 2024. This was an in-person event in London, with multiple other regional events also taking place in locations across the UK. There was also the option to dial in remotely.
We hosted a panel discussion followed by audience Q&A, focussing on the theme of Overcoming Invisible Barriers. This theme was inspired by the book “THE FIX: Overcome the Invisible Barriers that are Holding Women Back at Work” by Michelle King(2021). King’s book is based on more than 16 years of research, and explores the hidden factors that women encounter at work every day, but may not even notice because of ingrained gender stereotypes. King explains that women who speak up or assert themselves are often seen as pushy, and women who ask for a pay rise can be seen as difficult. However, she is very clear that fixing women isn’t the answer. She says “Gender equality is not about women, and it is not about men – it is about making workplaces work for everyone. Together, we can fix work, not women.”
Our panel speakers tackled these topics around diversity and inclusion initiatives, women in leadership and workplace culture through the lens of their personal experiences. We explored how we (everyone – women, and allies including men) can help to solve some of the problems in the workplace that we hear so often about, in practice.
You can watch a recording of the event below and Philippa Holland of Fellows & Associates has written an excellent report on LinkedIn here.
Meet the Panel
The discussions were moderated by Stephanie Kay, Managing Associate, Lewis Silkin LLP, and our panellists included:
- Esther Crew, Founder and CEO of Performance Engagement – DEI Consulting
- Susi Fish, Partner (Patent Attorney) at Boult
- Lucy Johnson, Chairperson, HGF Limited
- Mark Jones, DEI & Wellbeing Lead, Lewis Silkin LLP
The Book
Michelle King’s book is available on Amazon here. Michelle King’s website has many useful resources, and she also hosts a weekly podcast which you may enjoy listening to.
Cost
This event was free. So are all our resources. That said, we do need money to keep the show on the road, so if you enjoyed the event please consider contributing by clicking Donate now! For more information, visit the IP Inclusive fundraising page.
Host firms
The main event and regional viewings were kindly hosted by the following firms:
Edinburgh – Burness Paull
Leeds – Appleyard Lees
London – Lewis Silkin
Manchester – Appleyard Lees
Nottingham – Potter Clarkson
Oxford – Dehns