Lizzie Towse’s Post

Great tips for promoting innovation.

At Enterprise Works, we champion our region as a vibrant and ambitious location which is a great place for anyone, from any community, to start, grow and scale their business and last week's Enterprise Awards were undoubted proof! I read every single application for these awards and its shown more than anything that: 🔷There are many, many more brilliant businesses and social enterprises to discover. There are too many businesses that just don't get the visibility their excellence deserves. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 - 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭!  🔷The vibrancy and enormous potential for innovation and growth from businesses and social entrepreneurs in York and North Yorkshire. 🔷The commitment and connection the regional business community has to social value, sustainability and community engagement. Many congratulations to all the winners and nominees - your commitment, leadership and vision really is inspiring. And, based on the showing on the evening, ⚡️𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞.⚡️ Ellers Farm Distillery | Certified B Corp®, Dan Westgarth, Lucy Pittaway Limited, School Kitchen, Next Door But One Once again a huge thank you to our sponsors for your commitment to supporting the City and region and our small businesses and social enterprises. Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors LLP, York Merchant Adventurers Company, B R I D G E Employment Law, London North Eastern Railway, Nestlé, and the support from Barclays Eagle Labs Big thanks to the team from Bradshaws of York Ltd for their excellent food and service. 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬  We'll continue to advocate for our fantastic regional businesses and social enterprises - creating opportunities through our networks, communities, incubator and accelerator programmes and telling and amplifying their inspiring stories. Build further links between major regional employers, communities and social enterprise (see our Social Impact Accelerator link in the comments) Advocate for our female and diverse founders at a local and policy level (Have you seen that investing in Female Founders in Y&NY could generate £2.65Bn in GVA and 165,000 jobs - link in the comments) #EnterpriseAwards #BusinessGrowth #SocialEnterprise #Innovation #YorkshireBusiness #CommunityImpact #Sustainability #Leadership #Diversity #FemaleFounders Kiran Trehan, Rhiannon Heraty, Rachel Cullivan, Katie Wytwyckyj, Beatrice D'Ippolito, Lindsay Hamilton, Matthew Kirk,

🌍 Inspiring Insights from Pro Bono Week UK 2024! 🌍 I had the amazing opportunity of attending qLegal's third annual pro bono panel and networking event at CCLS on 6 November, focusing on this year’s theme: “Adopting a Climate-Conscious Approach to Pro Bono.” The event highlighted the legal profession’s growing role in supporting GreenTech startups and advancing environmental sustainability, and it was incredible to hear from leaders in this space! The session was expertly moderated by Karen Watton, whose insightful questions kept the discussion dynamic and thought-provoking. Our panel of experts— Nick Shipp (Kilburn & Strode), Julia Hemmings (Baker McKenzie), Michael Watson (Pinsent Masons), Helena Siebenrock (CMS UK), and Tayfun Yildiz (qLegal)—offered valuable insights that deepened my understanding of the unique legal challenges facing GreenTech, such as IP protections, compliance with sustainability regulations, and avoiding greenwashing. Key Takeaways: 1. Nick Shipp shed light on the complexities of IP in GreenTech, highlighting the slow evolution of IP laws and discussing B-corps’ dedication to sustainability and protection of trade secrets. 2. Julia Hemmings shared crucial guidance on greenwashing risks, balancing legal requirements for green vs. traditional products, and the importance of ESG compliance for start-ups to avoid pitfalls. 3. Michael Watson spoke about the “Show & Not Tell” approach to ESG at Pinsent Masons, including their partnership with Oxford University’s climate accelerator and the firm’s initiatives to collect data on social and environmental impact. 4. Helena Siebenrock emphasized commercial awareness—keeping up with trends and understanding the potential impacts of AI on GreenTech. 5. Tayfun Yildiz gave firsthand insights from his GreenTech startup experience, sharing how he proactively researched and developed solutions tailored to the needs of early-stage companies. The event wrapped up with an engaging speed networking session that allowed students like me to connect with these brilliant professionals and dive deeper into discussions on sustainable innovation and legal solutions. A huge thank you to qLegal, Karen Watton, the incredible panelists, and everyone behind the scenes for organizing such a valuable event. I left feeling inspired and equipped with new perspectives on the intersection of law and environmental responsibility. 🌱💼 #ProBonoWeekUK #GreenTech #Sustainability #qLegal #ClimateConscious #LegalProfession

Thrilled to share that we recently convened Diat's inaugural Advisory Board meeting—a landmark moment for us as we navigate through the exhilarating journey of scaling innovation. Stepping into this role, I couldn't help but draw upon the invaluable lessons learned during my time in BigLaw. The high-stakes environment of BigLaw firms, where precision, excellence, and strategic foresight are not just valued but essential, has equipped me with a toolkit of soft skills that proved to be instrumental in leading our first advisory board meeting. 1. Communication & Persuasion: The art of articulating complex ideas in a clear, compelling manner was at the heart of our discussion. It was about building consensus, inspiring action, and aligning diverse perspectives towards our shared vision for Diat. The ability to listen actively, empathize, and then tailor my communication to resonate with each board member's viewpoint was crucial. 2. Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving: BigLaw honed my ability to navigate complex challenges with strategic finesse. This was pivotal as we charted Diat's course, identifying opportunities for growth while addressing potential obstacles with proactive, creative solutions. 3. Resilience & Adaptability: The fast-paced, often unpredictable nature of BigLaw taught me the importance of resilience. Embracing change, learning from feedback, and persisting through setbacks were lessons that served me well as we engaged in deep, sometimes challenging conversations about areas of opportunity at Diat. 4. Teamwork & Leadership: Perhaps the most critical of all, BigLaw underscored the importance of fostering a collaborative environment. Leading the advisory board, I was reminded of the power of collective wisdom and the impact of leading with empathy, integrity, and a shared purpose. As we move forward, these soft skills will continue to guide our journey, ensuring that Diat not only achieves its strategic goals but also creates a culture of excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. I am immensely grateful for our advisory board's insights and commitment, and I look forward to the journey ahead with optimism and unwavering determination. #Leadership #AdvisoryBoard #Innovation #TeamDiat #SoftSkills #BigLawExperience #BigLaw #Startup #HealthTech

MSU's Professor of Management, Jim Chrisman, along with Assistant Professor of Management, Chelsea Sherlock, former MSU PhD student Vitaliy Skorodziyevskiy, and others, were recently featured in The Conversation for their article titled, "Smaller family companies are the unexpected innovation powerhouses in many countries in the world." Get the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g65iYGBp

This piece by BBB National Programs President and CEO Eric Reicin well encapsulates how independent industry self-regulation, a form of #softlaw, can provide solutions to vexing business and public policy problems.

In today's Invenio Insight, Managing Partner Ed Gehres discusses a number of ways in which plaintiffs law firms can optimize for operational excellence through team roles, leadership data analysis, and setting measurable outcomes. #InvenioInsight #LegalInnovation #LawyersOfLinkedIn

Thank you, New York! #LegalWeek2024 entailed far too many highlights for one post so I’ll just stick to the top 10: 1. Meeting my colleagues in the flesh (confirming that they are not #AI-generated robots) 2. Enjoying the moments of calm at the oxygen bar in the Grove with thanks to #Relativity 3. Watching the sun come up in #CentralPark on an early morning run with a brilliant group of smiling industry professionals organised by the energetic Ari Kaplan 4. Experiencing the views from the Rainbow Room courtesy of #Reveal 5. Rejoicing in the victory of the #NewYorkKnicks over the Indians Pacers (an unbelievably close game and vibrant atmosphere) 6. Visiting the #JSHeld Wall Street office and having an insightful conversation with Jack Turner on the firm’s focus on ESG 7. Enthralled by #MollyBloom’s keynote on her life story and some practical tips that we can all take away about entrepreneurship and authenticity 8. Connecting with #Womeninediscovery members from across the globe with a shared objective to raise awareness for heart disease 9. Coming together with J.S Held colleagues, clients and associates at #QualityItalian for some delicious and unique food (a chicken parmigiana pizza!). More importantly, it was all about the people and some memorable conversations 10. Finally, I can’t post about a conference without mentioning the actual conference! #LegalWeek involved an incredible array of seminars, workshops, demos, meetings and there are a plethora of tools that have implemented improvements to their products. AI was certainly the hot topic and I enjoyed getting into some healthy debates about the current challenges of #GenAI adoption

Innovation isn't always obvious, and that's why it's so valuable. As the Head of Innovation at Elevate, Pratik Patel shares five crucial insights from our extensive experience helping law departments and law firms innovate successfully.    Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/gV3R6KZE   #innovation #legalops #legaloperations #lawdepartments #lawfirms #legalconsulting #legalinnovation

We are pleased to announce that 41 #lawyers at Grünecker are recognised as #leaders in their respective fields in the new edition of Best Lawyers in Germany.   Some of our specialists were ranked for the first time. This shows our continuous improvement and commitment. We would like to thank our team members for their great work and congratulate them on this #success! Please click here to find out more about the ranking: https://lnkd.in/e8DmSf6M #ranking #IP #IPlaw #patent #trademarks #patentattorney #trademarkattorney