We’re delighted to announce the launch of a new version of our Senior Leaders’ Pledge, tailored to in-house IP professionals. Created by IP Inclusive and the IP Federation together, the In-House Senior Leaders’ Pledge is designed to allow leaders in corporate IP departments to make a visible commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion (D&I) in their teams.
What’s it all about?
The IP Inclusive Senior Leaders’ Pledge was introduced in July 2021 by our senior leaders’ think tank. It’s there to help senior professionals provide visible and active leadership on improving D&I in their organisations. While the IP Inclusive Charter is for organisations, the Senior Leaders’ Pledge gives individuals the chance to promise to use their privilege to champion diversity visibly.
The original version was created for professionals in private practice firms. The new in-house version is broadly similar, but takes account of the more nuanced approach that corporate IP departments may need to take in order to align with wider company policies.
Who has signed it?
You can see who has signed the original Senior Leaders’ Pledge here, and click on their names to see how they have personalised their pledges. We’ll be publishing the names of our first few in-house signatories shortly!
How do I sign it?
If you have a leadership or management role in an in-house IP team, we’d be delighted to welcome you on board as a pledge signatory!
Here’s what to do:
- Firstly, take a look at the pledge document, which you can download here. There are eight high-level commitments that everyone signs up to. Make sure you’re comfortable doing that.
- You then tailor the pledge for your personal circumstances by selecting, for each of the eight, one or two practical steps you’ll take to demonstrate your commitment. We’ve provided some ideas but really, this part is up to you. Every department will be different, and we recognise that the steps you’re able to take will depend on the nature and size of your company and its wider D&I policies. Do feel free to create your own steps instead of or in addition to those we’ve suggested.
- Having created your personal pledge, you then publish it. This part is important. Publicise it wherever you feasibly can: in internal documents and/or (where appropriate in view of the corporate strategy and policy) external work-related comms. You could, for example, post about it on LinkedIn.
- Let us know at IP Inclusive: send your name, company and job title, along with a link to your published pledge, to [email protected]. We’ll add those to our ongoing list of pledge signatories.
- Also please let us know if you would like to be added to our mailing list of pledge signatories. That will allow us to contact you about updates to the pledge, resources for signatories and relevant events and discussion forums. We will only use this list to tell you about things that relate specifically to the Senior Leaders’ Pledge – but you don’t have to join it if you’d prefer not to.
We’re relying on you and your team members to ensure you deliver on your Senior Leaders’ Pledge commitments! We recommend you review them once a year to check how you’re doing, and update your pledge if appropriate.
Do please make use of the IP Inclusive events and resources to help you champion diversity and inclusion in your team.