My heart sank when the anti-woke rhetoric began. Was this the end of the drive for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)? Was it to be just a passing fad? Would IP Inclusive be left by the wayside, just as it reached its tenth anniversary year?
Regime changes in the US stoked the fires of protectionism that were already smouldering across the UK and Europe. At best these developments provided a convenient excuse, for governments and companies already grappling with an economic downturn, to cut their DEI budgets. At worst, some began to normalise, and broaden, discrimination between the In-Crowd and the Others.
But if I was afraid, how much more so were the people IP Inclusive supported?
We spent our anniversary year talking to IP folk about how the changes were affecting them and their businesses. And something interesting emerged. Many businesses did still care about DEI. They might be changing the way they talked about it, but they could still see the value of a diverse workforce, an inclusive and supportive environment, and people management based on equity and respect.
More important even than that, individual professionals still cared. In organisations dialling down their DEI efforts, staff were not happy – and ultimately, in terms of talent recruitment and retention, that would create a strong business case for dialling up again.
We realised that, far from fading away, IP Inclusive was more important now than ever. Apolitical and set apart from individual businesses, it could champion causes that others found difficult to address in public, speak up for individuals whose companies had stepped back from DEI. It was a crucial safe space where people from across the sector could collaborate without judgement, where allyship provided safety in numbers and both amplified and focussed individual contributions.
We began to understand the power of the IP Inclusive community. Both the cause and the manifestation of our success thus far, this was what we should be focussing on as we weathered the anti-DEI storm. When we wrote our 2025-27 business plan, “community” was its underlying theme.
I’ve spoken to people in companies that still “walk the walk”. They feel proud, secure and valued. I’ve also spoken to those in the opposite situation, who feel let down, maybe scared, and also exasperated – because so much of what was done under the DEI banner had made their workplaces better, and now it was being thrown away. Some of those people will doubtless be looking to move.
Through IP Inclusive, though, they can still find friendship, support and reassurance. Our six communities are especially important for this, but more widely, IP Inclusive can keep the difficult conversations going, lobby for change, support representative bodies and regulators who also want to incentivise DEI. We can offer ideas, guidance and resources that help people make a case for DEI back in their own organisations. And we can share best practices that they can adopt for themselves even if not through their corporate policies.
We can also continue the push for a wider pipeline of recruits. Our Careers in Ideas campaign, which focusses on access to the professions and expanding the talent pool, provides a hook into wider “corporate social responsibility”- and community-focussed work that can be easier to justify than individual efforts to improve diversity.
I appreciate that what’s happening on the DEI front presents greater risks for large companies and for those with a global reach, in particular where they depend on overseas contracts. For the people who work there, IP Inclusive can provide the support networks, discussions and resources that their employers cannot. A relatively small IP team in a big corporation may have little influence on their company’s DEI policies, and less autonomy in DEI-related activities; we can give them more options.
So, at the end of IP Inclusive’s first decade, as the outside world becomes more hostile – or at least trickier to navigate – the case for us to continue is actually stronger than ever. And I believe we’re well placed to respond. Our unique pan-professional but sector-specific approach remains a core strength, as does our focus on general inclusivity rather than individual diversity stats, and our intersectional approach that allows everyone to get involved, whether as allies or as members of the classic diversity groups.
I’m glad we called ourselves IP “Inclusive”. The word “diversity” triggers discord, whereas even now, the general concepts of inclusivity and belonging still seem palatable. And yet, let’s be clear, diversity is still our ultimate goal. Diverse perspectives make for better decisions. Diverse inputs create more innovative teams and more agile responses. We need to stand firm on this. Diversity will make our businesses stronger, more successful, more sustainable. We do this for individual IP professionals, the businesses they work in, the clients they serve, and the IP sector as a whole.
To my relief, people have not stopped donating to IP Inclusive this year. They have not stopped coming to our events, and at those events they are still saying that DEI matters. Our recent panel discussion on “The case for EDI: why we need to continue”, where we heard insights from across the world, yielded an overall positive message for the future.
We are part of a wonderful profession, full of broad-minded and well-intentioned people. The DEI agenda is just one way in which the UK IP sector can continue to shine. IP Inclusive stands ready to help with that. We face our second decade, ironically perhaps in view of the conditions outside, with greater confidence, a stronger sense of purpose and a more loyal community of supporters than ever.
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