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Fancy joining the IP Inclusive team? Mostly we’re run by volunteers, but sometimes we also take on paid staff. Here you can find out more about who we are and how we work, and any opportunities we have available at the moment.

About IP Inclusive

IP Inclusive is a group of intellectual property (IP) professionals who work together to improve equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing in the UK’s IP sector. We come from all sorts of roles and backgrounds; we just like sharing ideas and best practices and we’re united by a common passion: to make the IP sector a better place for everyone to work in.

Most of the people running IP Inclusive are volunteers. We’re funded by donations from individuals and organisations who believe in our cause; we don’t make a profit but instead we use the money to make sure our events and resources are free for all UK-based IP professionals to access.

IP Inclusive has grown a lot in the last few years, and there’s a fair bit of work involved in keeping its day-to-day operations ticking over. So we pay a “Lead Executive Officer” (LEO, currently Andrea Brewster OBE) to manage those things. The LEO supports all our volunteers, coordinates the work they do, and ensures the formal stuff like accounts, insurance, policies and procedures are all running smoothly. Their work is overseen and supported by our governing body, IP Inclusive Management (IPIM).

If you get involved in IP Inclusive, either as a volunteer or as a paid member of our team, you’ll find it’s a very friendly and supportive community where everyone is welcome and everyone’s contribution is valued. We respect one another, we help one another, we learn from one another. That’s fundamental to who we are.

Have a read of the two first-hand accounts from our intern Susan Nelson, here and here, and of another from our 2023 intern Ayaan Ali here, to get a flavour for what it’s like to be part of IP Inclusive…

Inclusive recruitment

IP Inclusive recruits, manages and promotes personnel through fair and inclusive processes based on the skills and expertise needed for pursuing its objectives. We recognise the potential impact of unconscious bias and take steps to mitigate its effect on our work. In particular we aim to appoint personnel and to allocate roles in a way that involves a diverse range of people and perspectives.

We believe the people who work with us should be free to be themselves at work and we will do all we can to make them feel welcomed, valued and supported.

Accessibility

When applying for a role at IP Inclusive, please ask us if you need any adjustments either to help you access the application process or to allow you to fulfil the role to the best of your abilities. These might be due to a physical or mental condition, for example, or a caring responsibility.

We have absolutely no problem with your asking about this and will do our best to accommodate your needs – so please ask at the earliest opportunity. We will of course treat these requests sensitively and in confidence. Our IP Ability community helps to support IP professionals who are disabled, neurodivergent or in caring roles: they, and all of our other communities, welcome the involvement of IP Inclusive’s executive staff.

Meet our Lead Executive Officer

Photo of Andrea Brewster

Andrea Brewster OBE

If you accept a paid role at IP Inclusive, your line manager will be our Lead Executive Officer Andrea Brewster. She’s responsible for the day-to-day management of activities carried out under the IP Inclusive and Careers in Ideas banners.

Andrea is a patent attorney-turned-diversity champion, who established IP Inclusive back in 2015 and has led it ever since. She works from home, because most of IP Inclusive’s business is conducted online. So the people who work with her will also communicate with her mainly online (emails, Zoom meetings and the like) or by phone. When there’s not a pandemic on, though, she does venture out to meetings and events around the country, and will want to meet with you face-to-face now and then, when feasible, to talk things through and check you’re OK.

In the past Andrea has run her own small business, and she now coordinates large numbers of IP Inclusive volunteers, so she’s used to working with teams of people. She has an open, relaxed and approachable working style, and is happy to provide training and support when you need it. As a patent attorney, she likes to be organised (when she has the time), pays attention to detail and focusses on integrity and professionalism. She also has a dry sense of humour, so expect a few laughs along the way, and she doesn’t mind when people speak up with mad ideas or challenge the status quo – as long as they’re enthusiastic and constructive of course.

If you want to speak with Andrea about any of the vacancies on this page, please contact her at [email protected].

Our governing body, IP Inclusive Management (IPIM), will be your official employer if you work for us. You can read more about the IPIM team here: they’re also very friendly, supportive and approachable.