As a Women Owned and led boutique IP firm, where pay parity is a given, Pearce IP celebrates International Women’s Day and the diversity, equity and inclusion of which we are proud. With more than 70% female leaders, menstrual and menopause leave, fertility leave, miscarriage and loss leave, more than 20% part-timers, and a “work from anywhere” business model, there is much to celebrate with diversity at Pearce IP.
We take a moment now to shine the spotlight on some of our incredible female leaders in our Leading Lights series. These trailblazing women are not just leading the way in their fields, they are redefining what it means to be a leader in today’s world.
Happy International Women’s Day 2024!
Naomi Pearce – CEO, Founder
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It is a moment to celebrate the resilient, capable, glorious women in my life, and to inspire the little women in my life to dream big, ridiculous dreams!
As a successful woman in your chosen field, what or who drove you to be successful?
Drive is part nature, part nurture. A drive for excellence is hard-wired into me – let’s say genetic – which can be both a blessing and a curse. I was also gifted – from my mother and grandmother – a strong conviction that I could achieve any goal if I set my mind on it. (This is an incredible gift from brilliant women who were both raised in an era where a brilliant mind on a woman was a waste.) As a child it was beyond the realms of my imagination that being a woman would, or could, limit my success.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give to young women who are looking to you for leadership?
Fear of failure is the greatest impediment to success for women. I would say “Set your goal. Get yourself ready (your head first, but also your tools, skills, CV, network). Induce your moment with sacrifice. Abandon FOMO. And when your moment comes, JUMP. You may be scared, but JUMP anyway.”
How do you ensure that you are a role model for women in the workplace?
Pearce IP is a place where it is normal to see women in leadership and where pay parity is a given. Our team has access to leave policies that are intentionally generous to women (menstrual and menopause leave; miscarriage and loss leave), and we operate in a “work from anywhere” model which cuts the commute time for our team members, giving them more time with those that matter most to them.
Why is diversity, equity and inclusion important to you?
It is still shocking to me that we need to keep having a conversation around women in law. It remains abrasive that law firms limp toward parity in the number of women in leadership. It is outrageous that pay disparity is real in our industry. But it is real, and so I will keep shouting for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion until the conversation is no longer needed!