As an example, he cited that there are very few women among the crop of equity partners in firms.

“That’s totally unacceptable,” he said.  “We need to change that.”

The workshops are part of a bigger program which lNTA launched this year to push for greater gender diversity and inclusion in the trademark practice. Said program includes workshops in the US, Europe and Asia as well as a virtual workshop which will be the launching pad for more new initiatives for women practitioners. Educational events and networking opportunities will also be part of the program. By the end of 2020, the Association will issue best practices and recommendations for corporations and law firms to help empower the women in their workplaces. A scholarship program may also be in the offing.

All these will be discussed at the Women’s LeadershIP Initiative  workshops during the INTA 2020 Annual Meeting and Leadership Meeting which will go online on November 16 – 20, 2020.

“We feel that it is extremely important to continue empowering women and providing them with the tools and the skills to continue to grow professionally,” said Sanz de Acedo.

In INTA’s Brand & New podcast earlier this year, INTA president Ayala Deutsch explained why inclusion, diversity and The Women’s LeadershIP Initiative are priorities for the Association:

“Diversity in its truest meaning is really not only about diversity of gender or ethnicity,” Deutsch said. “it's about diversity of thought and diversity of experience and diversity of approach.”

“The more you are bringing to the table, people who think about things differently, tackle things differently, have a different perspective on resolving an issue, the better your end product is going to be because you are gathering the best of a lot of different ideas instead of focusing on only one. One of the many benefits of embracing gender diversity is it is another way to open up diversity generally and to get different perspectives and approaches and experiences to contribute to problem solving and to moving forward,” Deutsch added.

“Indeed, research shows how, when organizations work to close the gender gap and embrace diversity and inclusion, they foster innovation and improve overall employee well-being,” said Sanz de Acedo.

Though anchored on women empowerment, the Women’s LeadershIP Initiative Workshop during the INTA 2020 Annual Meeting and Leadership Meeting is also open to men. According to Sanz de Acedo, to achieve gender diversity and allow women to occupy more and higher positions in the trademark field, their male counterparts have a role to play. Hence, it is important to openly discuss the issue and find solutions to address this gender gap problem.

Espie Angelica A. de Leon