ChIPs Australia and New Zealand is delighted to invite you to celebrate World IP Day 2023 at a hybrid event hosted by Bird & Bird in Sydney and online. Join our panelists Annita Nugent (IP Australia), Kaelah Ford (Canva), and Carolyn Breeze (Scalare), moderated by Eunika Kurek (Unilever), as we discuss the role of IP in addressing the unique challenges and opportunities facing women in innovative and creative industries, and promoting women’s contributions to the development of emerging technologies. Light refreshments will be served.

SPEAKERS

• Eunika Kurek, Senior Legal Counsel at Unilever (Moderator)
• Dr. Annita Nugent, Assistant Director in the Office of the Chief Economist at IP Australia
• Kaelah Ford, Head of Intellectual Property Legal at Canva
• Carolyn Breeze, CEO of Scalare Partners

REMEMBER TO RSVP | Join us in-person or virtually!

• In-Person RSVP. Please let us know you will be attending, because in-person attendance will be limited at 60 attendees.
• Virtual RSVP. Register to receive meeting log-in information via email.

ABOUT THE SPONSOR | Bird & Bird

With 31 offices across 22 countries, Bird & Bird is a global firm, dedicated to businesses being transformed by technology and the digital world. We’re passionate about innovation, with stellar global accolades for our work in intellectual property law, so World Intellectual Property Day holds special significance here. An inclusive culture, alongside a diverse workforce, makes us more innovative and agile. We’re focused on ensuring all our people, regardless of gender, are supported to reach their full potential. This ChIPs event, bringing together the themes of global IP and women’s creativity, strongly aligns with our values.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Eunika Kurek
Eunika Kurek is an IP and commercial lawyer with experience across the FMCG, media and telecommunications industries. She has also worked in private practice and at IP Australia. Eunika is now Senior Legal Counsel at Unilever ANZ, responsible for the Ice Cream and Nutrition business groups. As a qualified marketer, Eunika thinks it’s important for in-house lawyers to champion their company’s products. This means that she eats a lot of ice cream and mayonnaise, though never at the same time.

Annita Nugent 
Dr. Annita Nugent is an Assistant Director in the Office of the Chief Economist at IP Australia. Within her current role Annita leads the gender diversity and innovation research program. Annita has a PhD in the dynamics of university-industry collaboration and the influence of government incentives, and has over 30 years of experience working in the innovation ecosystem. Annita began her career as a patent examiner (pharmaceuticals) before qualifying as a patent and trade mark attorney. She has worked in private practice for a leading national patent attorney firm, as an in-house IP specialist, in university commercialisation and research translation. She is an Industry Fellow with the University of Queensland School of Business.

Kaelah Ford
Kaelah is the Head of Intellectual Property Legal at Canva. Launched in 2013, Canva is an online visual communications and collaboration platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design. Kaelah leads a team responsible for advising Canva on all aspects of intellectual property, from development and protection through to commercialisation and enforcement. Prior to joining Canva, Kaelah was a Senior Associate at Allens in the IP team.

Carolyn Breeze 
Carolyn is a leader in empowering organisations to drive inclusion and equality through technology and accessibility. With over 20 years of experience in telecommunications, technology, eCommerce, and fintech, she has received numerous accolades for her work, including CEO Magazine’s IT and Telecommunications Executive of the Year in 2018, Business Insider’s top 21 Women in Fintech, and the Advocate for Women award at the 2019 Woman in Payments Symposium. Most recently, Carolyn was recognised as Fintech Leader of the Year at the 2021 Woman in Finance Awards.

As CEO of Scalare Partners and previously an executive leader at Zepto, GoCardless, Braintree, PayPal, and eBay, Carolyn is known for driving digital innovation and commercial success. In addition to her corporate experience, she also provides advisory services in payments, open data, fintech, automation, and commercialisation strategies to clients across various sectors. Carolyn is a sought-after public speaker and thought leader in the fintech, payments, and tech industries.