This year the theme of World Intellectual Property Day is “Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity.” ClarivateTM helps companies accelerate innovation, achieve long-term growth and realize sustainable success. We are proud to continue the global celebration of World IP Day by spotlighting our women IP experts, whose ingenuity and talent pave the way to major breakthroughs. Here is the story of Ronda Majure, Vice President of Segment Sales at Clarivate.
Women make up roughly 57% of trademark associates yet they remain underrepresented across the wider intellectual property industry, especially within roles tied to STEM. However, the future looks optimistic, as recent law school enrollment statistics show greater enrollment of women than men.
Ronda Majure, Vice President of Segment Sales at Clarivate, has worked in the IP industry for over 25 years, with a majority of her career focused on enabling the world’s largest brands establish and protect their trademarks. She witnessed, firsthand, how gender diversity within the IP industry has progressed over the past three decades. While the number of women in law is growing, she realizes that women face different challenges than their male colleagues with additional hurdles to career growth.
“What I do know is that more women in law firms are choosing to leave private practice in the prime of their careers while their male counterparts are gaining leadership roles and earning power. This is something that needs to be addressed because losing intellectual capital like that is unsustainable for law firms,” Ronda says.
It has become increasingly important for law firms to prioritize diversity and inclusion initiatives as they can lead to better business outcomes as well as higher performance and employee satisfaction. Ronda also believes technology plays an increasingly vital role. “Women who are skilled in both emerging technologies and demonstrate a strong understanding of IP law and policy will be in high demand.”
At the recently held INTA 2023 Annual Meeting in Singapore, where Clarivate was an exhibitor, Ronda spoke about the Clarivate trademark search and watch solutions that IP professionals already use and trust as well as the Innovation Lab, where Clarivate product leaders demonstrated new integrations and AI-driven products.
Ronda emphasizes that there are many great opportunities for women in the IP industry whether that leads to working with a service provider or working for a firm. One path is through law school, focusing on IP and eventually working for a commercial company such as Clarivate, where they can put their legal expertise to good use and become a trusted advisor to law firms and corporations. Another road to IP is to train to become a paralegal before attending law school. There are also partners in law firms who transition to the work in the consulting world. There are numerous paths and roads within the vast IP arena and they continue to expand and evolve, as Ronda puts it. “I will say I have never lost interest in IP because there are always new challenges, opportunities and experiences. The IP industry can be very rewarding and fulfilling for women.”
Her interest in IP emerged when Ronda started her career in legal sales, which coincided with the internet taking off. At that time, she was working in tax and business law. The experience she gained there took her to Thomson & Thomson, the gold standard of trademark research, as she describes it. “At that time, Thomson & Thomson was launching SAEGIS® and wanted people with experience selling internet services. I quickly learned that the trademark world is a tight-knit community and that the relationships you foster will last a lifetime,” Ronda says.
Ronda is passionate about helping clients flourish because it is where her team can find opportunities to grow and evolve. By providing sustainable ways to build a better future, experts from Clarivate use their deep knowledge and experience to help customers elevate their ideas and advance their success. Ronda advises it is essential to pay close attention to our customers’ pain points and use our understanding of those pain points to innovate our own offerings. She considers herself fortunate to have spent her career in this industry and witnessed firsthand the value IP professionals contribute. “I am inspired and energized by the individuals and companies I have had the privilege to work with.”
Ronda firmly believes that the key to helping others accelerate innovation and creativity is in being curious. Listening to customers is a road to discovering new ideas and the foundation of innovation and creativity lies in the introduction of new ideas. “My customers’ and colleagues’ ideas matter. It is a privilege to hear their insights because their creativity and innovative ideas are valued,” Ronda concludes. These are the ideas that fuel great breakthroughs.
Read more from our blog series on Clarivate women experts.
To learn how our experts help you maximize your IP potential, view our IP solutions for law firms.
