+ Lawyer
+ Tech Enthusiast
+ Table-top Gamer
Was working in IP always part of your career plan, or was it something that presented to you during your journey?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an inventor or a magician. At the time I naturally considered them to be quite different, but I am often reminded that in many ways they are also quite similar.. To me, science and technology are in some ways, magic. They can be used to solve problems, create new experiences and allow us to imagine or effectuate things previously deemed impossible which, to me, is kind of like magic.
Later in life, I really enjoyed studying IP when I was at uni. I was really lucky in my final year of uni to gain a work placement at a specialist IP firm, where I worked for the first four years of my career. So even though I hadn’t gone into law planning to be in IP specifically, when I learned more about this specialist area, I knew it was the path I wanted to take. Throughout my career, I’ve practised in more general and broader areas of commercial law, but time and time, I’ve always been drawn back to the innovative and exciting world of IP.
I have to say, it’s still like magic to me. Whenever I go into a meeting with one of our patent clients or attend industry events, I’m frequently excited and amazed by what people are coming up with and doing. And that’s what I find really inspiring about working in IP.
Your work enables you to support a range of entrepreneurs, from those just starting out to those who have been innovating for years, with getting their business off the ground and keeping it secure. Have you noticed any key differences between your male and female clients’ work?
In my experience, my clients who operate in the traditional STEM space (e.g. engineers and scientists) are still mostly male; while my female clients are in less established areas of innovation and science, especially in the creative and online spaces.
What role do you think we all need to play in supporting a greater uptake of women in STEM?
I think we need greater representation of females in STEM as well as workplace initiatives which encourage and foster female talent. The work of WiTWA and similar organizations and online forums which were specifically launched to promote women in STEM, share the idea that if you can see her, you can be her – which is the basis of WiTWA’s hashtag (#SeeHerBeHer). By having more positive female role models as well as support in the workplace, the next generation of women can see that, while the movers and shakers of the STEM world have traditionally been male, they can also play an equally important role in shaping the future of science and technology.
I think it’s also important to nurture an environment of women supporting women. As STEM is still very male-dominated, when a woman does rise through the ranks, it can sometimes feel like she’s competing against other women to get there, but really, we can only get better if we help each other.
Which women leaders did you look up to as you were growing up and why?
Hedy Lamarr was a huge inspiration to me. She defied the idea that a woman could only be beautiful or smart. For some reason, it was impressed upon me as a young girl that these two qualities are mutually exclusive, and that you could only be one or the other – I suppose it was the trope of the bimbo or the ugly girl in glasses. Hedy Lamarr was both – an accomplished Hollywood actress as well as an inventor whose work eventually lead to the development of Wi-Fi. She showed that these stereotypes were baseless social constructs meant to be broken!
Who do you look up to now and why?
The women I look up to now are very similar. I’m still inspired by women who break down gender stereotypes and barriers. Two that come to mind are Lyndsey Scott and Marita Cheng.
Lyndsey Scott was the model/programmer who spoke at last year’s WiTWA conference. I’d actually come across her work in a tech blog several years ago, so it was awesome to hear her speak. I think she’s like a modern-day Hedy Lamarr, in that she’s an accomplished model and software developer.
I also really admire Marita Cheng, an Australian software developer who founded Robogals, which is a program that helps promote STEM to young girls by teaching them how to code, and Aipoly, an app which assists the visually impaired with understanding their surroundings.
Both of these women are real trailblazers who haven’t let any stereotypes about their ethnicity or gender limit their abilities to succeed in the traditionally male-dominated tech industry.
What do you hope to see from women in STEM of the future?
I would like to see more recognition for women and their contributions in STEM-related industries. I was inspired by the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ about the female mathematicians whose work at NASA played a critical role in the success of the first US manned space flights. Like many others, I had no idea of their part and importance in these space flights. I’d like to see women get more recognition for the work that they do, and I’d also like to see more female founders and entrepreneurs put their own good ideas out there.
I also hope to see more programs which facilitate workplace training and mentoring to help both females and males in the workplace recognise, encourage and foster female talent in leadership roles. We need to teach women to feel confident, to know they are supported and that they are able to communicate their ideas in the workplace.
What is your experience of mentoring?
I’ve been a mentor in an informal capacity through my various board positions in volunteering organisations, such as Rotaract and the Red Cross. These roles have allowed me to mentor other people to go into more senior leadership or board roles and I’ve enjoyed seeing young professionals take ownership and thrive as they develop their skills through volunteering.
At work, I’m really lucky as I’ve always had female supervisors and colleagues who are experts in their field – our trade marks team is mostly female, and I continue to learn a lot from them. Jen, Marie and Bindhu are great examples who inspire me with their work ethic and drive. Even though I haven’t got an official or formal mentor, I’m lucky to be constantly inspired and learning through my colleagues and teammates.
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