My name is Lee Davies and I am the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys. I have a long-standing personal and professional interest in diversity and inclusion (D&I) which was born out of the ‘inclusive learning’ initiative in further education in the 90s and has travelled with me in my career in membership associations. What follows is my personal commitment to translating that passion for D&I into actions that will make a difference in my leadership role at CIPA. I commit to: 

Providing visible and proactive leadership to improve D&I in my organisation

• I will lead from the front and be a passionate advocate for D&I in CIPA as both a membership association and an employer.
• I will ensure that I involve myself in D&I projects, activities and workstreams and will support others who wish to do the same.
• I will promote and CIPA’s commitment to D&I, both within CIPA and externally, and I will lead on the delivery of CIPA’s D&I strategy, objectives, and policies.
• I will champion colleagues from under-represented groups and, where appropriate, act as an ally or sponsor.
• I will talk about ‘CIPA people’ when I refer to the volunteers and employees who make CIPA tick, as I value both equally.

Taking D&I seriously at the highest level

• I will ensure that D&I is embedded in the leadership and governance of CIPA.
• I will champion D&I on CIPA Council and through the work of CIPA’s committees.
• I will challenge potential bias or discrimination if I encounter it in the leadership or governance of CIPA.
• I will encourage senior CIPA people to provide visible and proactive leadership on D&I issues.

Embedding and valuing D&I throughout the organisational culture

• I will create and maintain a culture of inclusivity and encourage CIPA people, at all levels, to support D&I.
• I will ensure that the training and development of CIPA people includes a focus on D&I and on the importance of CIPA being an inclusive membership association.
• I will encourage CIPA people to seek out and to value diversity in their teams and committees and to champion under-represented groups, in particular when allocating work within teams or committees.

Building trust and safe spaces throughout the organisation

• I will make it clear that CIPA operates a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and harassment, for CIPA people and those who we interact with.
• I will encourage CIPA people to be the people they are when at CIPA, safe in the knowledge that they can speak freely and openly about who they are.
• I will readily and candidly share my life experiences where appropriate and will be there for others who want to share their stories.

Educating myself and my colleagues about D&I issues

• I will learn from the CIPA people around me, by listening and questioning as appropriate.
• I will support CIPA people when they identify individual or collective learning opportunities in relation to D&I.
• I will ensure that the induction of CIPA people who are new to role includes CIPA’s commitment to D&I and how they can help CIPA deliver its objectives.

Sharing my privileges

• I will recognise and acknowledge that I benefit from social and professional advantages and respect linked to my identity, and I will encourage CIPA people to do the same.
• I will support initiatives to improve access to the IP professions and I will work with other groups and charities who aspire to make IP a welcoming and inclusive place to be.

Insisting on equity

• I will ensure that CIPA people are recruited through fair, diversity-enhancing means and that all CIPA people have the same access to career enhancement and professional enrichment.
• I will enable all CIPA people to succeed and will ensure that they have equal access to the resources and the opportunities they need to be the best they can.
• I will recognise that CIPA people have different needs and that CIPA must be adaptable and willing to work with its people to ensure we succeed together.

Working closely with HR and management colleagues to achieve this

• I will make sure that D&I is a key factor when making management and governance decision, by putting the impact on CIPA people at the heart of decision making.
• I will ensure that D&I is an important consideration when communicating with CIPA people and the world beyond CIPA.
• I will measure the success of management and governance in CIPA by its contribution to ensuring that CIPA is an inclusive membership association.

Lee Davies

Date published: 28 July 2021