On Wednesday 26 April 2023 the Intellectual Property Awareness Network was delighted to host a panel and networking reception at the Institute of Directors (IoD) in London, ‘Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity’, celebrating World IP Day with a panel of experts discussing the successes of women in the creative industries and the challenges they face in accessing and protecting IP.

This very special event was chaired by IPAN Chairman John Ogier, and welcomed speakers Penny Phillpotts from the Intellectual Property Office UK; Andrea Brewster OBE, Lead Executive Officer of IP Inclusive and former President of The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys Attorneys; Kristen Tapping, Entrepreneur and Product Design Engineer, currently developing GoRolloe, a startup that creates air filtration devices for vehicles to capture harmful particulate matter in urban areas; Sarah Talland, trade mark attorney with Potter Clarkson LLP; Dr Bola Olabisi, Founder & CEO of GlobalWIIN (which she set up in 1998 in recognition of the challenges that women face in bringing commercially viable products and breakthrough developments to market) with GlobalWIIN & IPAN Award Winner Patience Nwodu, Inventor and creator of Chibu Reusable Carriers; and Associate Professor Dr Janice Denoncourt, Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University and Author of ‘Intellectual Property, Finance and Corporate Governance’ (2018).

The event was exceptionally well-attended by over 50 guests representing IP law firms, academics and universities, practitioners, inventors, creators and entrepreneurs. During the event, IPAN Chair John Ogier presented a gift on behalf of IPAN’s Board, Members and Partners to Ruth Soetendorp for her decades of dedication to the IPAN mission as a valued member of the IPAN Board.

IPAN extends its very special thanks and appreciation to all our members and guests who joined us for this outstanding panel discussion, and very special thanks to our event partners Potter Clarkson, Briffa, The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, and Sybaris Legal & IP.

View the Event Programme here.

Become a Member of IPAN today for priority and complimentary invitations to future IPAN events and initiatives! Click here to join.

For further information on IPAN’s mission, stakeholder engagement initiatives and partnership opportunities, please email the IPAN Secretariat here.