World IP Day 2023 panel discussion. Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity

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Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand

World IP Day 2023 panel discussion. Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity

Join us to hear from inspiring women across the innovation and business sectors to mark World Intellectual Property Day 2023.

Event details

The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) and New Zealand Intellectual Property Attorneys Inc (NZIPA) invite you to a special panel discussion in celebration of World IP Day 2023.

The panel discussion will feature:

Panellists:

  • Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard FRSNZ HonFRSC. Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor | Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia
  • Theresa Gattung CNZM. Chair of Global Women; Founder, The University of Auckland Theresa Gattung Chair of Women in Entrepreneurship; NZ Country lead for Coralus (formerly SheEO)
  • Antonia Modkova. Director of Intellectual Property and Innovation at Soul Machines
  • Brooke Roberts. Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Director at Sharesies

Moderator:

  • Becky White. National Manager, Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand

Credit: Elise Manahan

Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard FRSNZ HonFRSC. Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor | Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia

Juliet trained at Oxford University and moved to Aotearoa in 1993 where her career has included roles in both Crown Research Institutes and universities. Juliet’s research background is broad and interdisciplinary, with particular interests in fundamental and applied protein science. She has held an Industry and Outreach Fellowship with Callaghan Innovation, founded a start-up company, chaired the Marsden Council, served on the Board of Directors of Plant and Food Research, and is currently on the Board of Te Papa.

Since Juliet’s appointment in 2018 as the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia, she has worked from a base of four founding principles: rigour, inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility. She has supported the science and science advisor community to provide advice to the PM, ministers, and the public on a wide range of topics, including advice on the Christchurch mosque shootings, the response to the Whakaari | White Island eruption, the Cannabis referendum, rheumatic fever and the Covid-19 pandemic. The Office has released three major reports, Rethinking plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand, The future of commercial fishing in Aotearoa New Zealand, and Kotahitanga - Uniting Aotearoa against infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance and has a current focus on food waste.

Theresa Gattung CNZM. Chair of Global Women; Founder, The University of Auckland Theresa Gattung Chair of Women in Entrepreneurship; NZ Country lead for Coralus (formerly SheEO)

Theresa Gattung is a New Zealand business leader, author, philanthropist and investor. Perhaps best known for her role as CEO of Telecom New Zealand, she was the first female CEO of an NZX listed company. She has held multiple governance positions and is also the New Zealand lead of Coralus (formerly SheEO), an international community that supports, finances, and celebrates female entrepreneurs.

In 2021 she funded the Theresa Gattung Chair of Women in Entrepreneurship within the University of Auckland Business School and, together with her sister Angela Gattung, launched the Gattung Foundation whose main charitable purposes are to support the relief of poverty, the education and advancement of women, Māori and Pasifika to reduce inequality and the care, support and protection of animals. Theresa has been inducted into CoOfWomen Hall of Fame and also given the Inaugural NZ Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award for her trailblazing leadership and empowerment of women by the UN Women Aotearoa New Zealand.

Antonia Modkova. Director of Intellectual Property and Innovation at Soul Machines

Antonia is a patent attorney and lawyer with a BSc(Hons) in Computer Science, specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI). She is responsible for growing and managing the IP portfolio of Soul Machines, an AI company developing lifelike and emotionally responsive avatars as a user interface for AI platforms. She loves exploring how new technologies, particularly AI, will push the boundaries of our current laws and legal practice.

Brooke Roberts. Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Director at Sharesies

Brooke Roberts is the co-founder, director and 3EO (co-CEO) of Sharesies and mother of two. Sharesies is a wealth development platform with over half a million investors who’ve collectively invested over $2 billion. At Sharesies, their vision is to give someone with $5 and $5m money investment opportunities. Brooke is passionate about creating equal opportunities and business being a force for good – she puts a lot of focus on making sure Sharesies has a positive impact on people, customers, communities, and the environment. Brooke was the co-winner of the 2020 Women of Influence- Business award, alongside co-founder, Sonya Williams. Brooke was also awarded the 2022 NZ Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual.

Becky White. National Manager, Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand

Becky has worked in leading IP firms in New Zealand and Australia, the world food company Danone and as IP counsel at Xero, and joined IPONZ last year.

Becky is a people-centric leader, focusing on creating work environments that foster inclusivity. She has been a champion for women in the IP workplace. Promoting women in the IP world, as innovators and creators, is something she is passionate about.

While at Xero Becky led the team to commit Xero to signing the Diversity Pledge. This is an initiative that encourages companies to use their own patent data as a way to visualise who is participating in their innovation and patent inventorship processes and more importantly who is not – including a focus on women inventorship.

Event date May 4, 2023
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