PONS IP, a global intellectual property consultancy, has hosted an event at the Fundación PONS headquarters in Madrid as part of the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s (AIPLA) international initiative “Rooted in Real – Women in IP Redefining the Narrative” by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), with the aim of fostering a global and practical conversation on leadership, professional development and decision-making within the ecosystem of women professionals in the field of intellectual and industrial property. Alongside Madrid, this important annual event was held simultaneously in 55 cities around the world.
The session brought together professionals from the corporate sector, the creative sector and the legal-technical IP ecosystem, with an explicitly intergenerational focus and a dual objective: on the one hand, to draw actionable insights on leadership and career development; on the other, to identify concrete IP decisions such as portfolio priorities, governance of intangible assets, the impact of AI on brands and content, and coordination with business based on professional experience.
The panel featured Teresa Arlabán Gabeiras, Vice President of Industrial and Intellectual Property and Processes at Nordex Group; Sara López LLuva, MACC Legal Counsel at Netflix and founder of somospampam; and, representing PONS IP, Isabel Cortés Martínez, Director of Institutional Relations and Projects, and Carlota Sánchez-Céspedes Riber, Intellectual Property Consultant in the consultancy’s International Division. The discussion was moderated by Eugenia Navarro, Partner at LOIS (Legal Operations Institute Studies) and lecturer at ESADE, who provided a practical perspective on the evolution of the legal sector and the transformation of the legal and IP functions within global organisations.
Throughout the discussion, the participants agreed that professional progression in IP today is built on a combination of technical excellence and cross-functional skills, alongside soft skills that are decisive in practice: internal influence, business acumen, communication and negotiation skills, and access to high-impact projects. In this regard, as real career drivers, the active commitment to talent, its exposure to decision-making forums, and the assignment of critical responsibilities were highlighted as factors that accelerate career trajectories, particularly in environments where cultural inertia and unintended biases persist.
The discussion also addressed professional visibility as a strategic factor, analysing how authority is established within legal and IP teams and how leadership styles have evolved in recent years. From a cross-cutting perspective, the meeting highlighted the importance of ‘taking up space’ in decision-making and of building an authentic professional narrative, in line with the motto ‘Rooted in Real’, which positions real-world experience as the driving force behind cultural and professional change.
From a business perspective, one of the most significant sections focused on intellectual and industrial property as a critical asset for competitiveness. The speakers agreed that, in an environment where corporate value is shifting towards intangible assets—brand, technology, data, content, design and know-how— the IP function must operate as a central pillar of the company’s intangible asset governance strategy: anticipating risks, enabling growth, sustaining competitive differentiation and facilitating investment and internationalisation will be the key factors shaping the future of the management and protection of trademarks, patents, designs and data in a global and digitalised environment. This vision was translated into specific operational decisions: how to prioritise a portfolio, how to justify investments in protection, and how to coordinate with areas such as innovation, marketing, procurement or business development using clear criteria aligned with strategy.
The impact of artificial intelligence on brands, content and internal processes was also a key focus. The panellists analysed how the acceleration of creativity and the proliferation of digital assets require the strengthening of clearance, licensing and rights management processes, as well as the definition of internal criteria to mitigate risks without stifling innovation. At the same time, it was highlighted that AI not only poses new legal challenges, but also redefines the critical skills required to lead IP: risk assessment, foresight, cross-functional coordination and the ability to translate technical decisions into business impact.
From the perspective of young talent, the presentation by Carlota Sánchez-Céspedes Riber of PONS IP offered a practical insight into the early stages of a career in an international environment, highlighting the importance of gradual exposure to clients, market-oriented specialisation and multicultural coordination. The discussion highlighted that the global environment opens up opportunities, but also raises the bar from an early stage, reinforcing the need for support structures and professional development that guarantee equal opportunities and genuine access to high-value experiences.
The session concluded with a joint discussion on specific actions that organisations and professionals can take in the short term to promote more diverse, intergenerational and strategic leadership in IP, reinforcing the role of intellectual property as a critical business asset and a driver of competitiveness in a global market. The event concluded with a live international link-up with the other 55 participating cities, highlighting the global scope of the initiative promoted by AIPLA.
About ‘Rooted in Real – Women in IP Redefining the Narrative’
This initiative, spearheaded by AIPLA, aims to highlight authentic experiences of women in the field of intellectual property and to foster practical discussions on leadership, professional development and decision-making. The initiative is taking place simultaneously in 15 cities across the United States and 40 cities around the world, bringing together a network of local events linked by a shared global conversation.
