Marylauren Ilagan is Senior Counsel and Head of IP at Olaplex, Inc., the disruptor that created the bond building category in the hair care industry with its patented complex. Marylauren is leading the company in evolving its patent portfolio and strengthening the OLAPLEX brand to keep pace with the company's growth, innovation, and consumer demand, as well as protecting its current valuable IP assets. Prior to joining Olaplex, Marylauren was the Director of IP at Mary Kay Inc., the skin care company known for its direct selling business model, pink Cadillacs, and Mary Kay ladies. There, she grew the company’s IP portfolio to over 10,000 IP assets and led the company’s Brand Protection Program combating counterfeits, illegal parallel imports, and unauthorized sales. Marylauren began her practice as a patent attorney at Novak Druce + Quigg (now Polsinelli PC). She graduated from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and has a background in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Marylauren’s favorite ChIPs experience has been participating in the mock pitch sessions as a mock client – if you haven’t done it yet, you need to!