“I fell into the profession purely by chance. Having risen through the ranks of Private Secretary / Personal Assistant to various Company Chairmen, I needed something different and entered the world of computers and databases. After several years, I was offered a job with a pharmaceutical company implementing a new database. On my first day I discovered this was an Intellectual Property records system, for which it was necessary to write all the required actions! I knew nothing of IP law, so had a crash course in patents and formalities. Strangely, I was hooked. With every country having different laws, every day presented new challenges.
I sat the CIPA Administrators’ examination and passed with distinction. That was some twenty years ago, and I still enjoy every aspect of my career. The role requires an eye for detail and a great deal of concentration to ensure dates are calculated correctly in an extremely busy environment, but there is a huge sense of achievement. I am not sure why I get so excited when filing multiple patent applications in one day: they receive consecutive numbers.
I was delighted when I was asked to take on the role of Primary Examiner for the new CIPA Administrators’ exam, and take pleasure in seeing administrators studying, passing their exam and moving from strength to strength. I became actively involved in the CIPA Administrators’ Committee and the organisation of the annual Administrators’ Conference. There are so many opportunities that my only regret is that I didn’t come to the profession earlier.”
IP Administrator / Edwards Ltd / West Sussex