Congress Speakers

Dr Liz O’Riordan is a former consultant breast surgeon with 15 years’ experience leading teams in life-and-death situations and a three-time cancer patient who has lived the realities of pressure, vulnerability, and communication breakdown. She now speaks to organisations about leadership and perspective, communication and psychological safety, and resilience and reinvention in fast-changing, high-demand workplaces. A best-selling author and Humanitarian of the Year award winner, Liz has spoken for global brands including Apple, Google, YouTube, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche. Her keynotes give audiences practical tools to stay calm, communicate clearly, and perform when the pressure is real.

Marianne Page is an award-winning keynote speaker and creator of Big Mac Thinking™, a proven blueprint that helps organisations build Clarity, Confidence and Consistency at scale. She spent almost 30 years as a senior manager with McDonald’s, one of the world’s most consistent businesses, experiencing first-hand how clarity, shared standards and predictable performance drive success. Since leaving, she has spent 15 years working with scale-ups, franchise organisations and leadership teams, discovering how the same principles can be applied to smaller, fast-growing businesses.

A best-selling author, Marianne challenges leaders to examine the habits, assumptions and behaviours that shape performance and explores why consistency can be so difficult to achieve. Drawing on nearly three decades of lived leadership experience, she offers practical insights into what it really takes to build and maintain consistency in organisations.

Dr Rosie Allister has received the British Veterinary Association Chiron Award, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Impact Award, and British Small Animal Veterinary Association Honorary Life Membership for work on veterinary mental health. Rosie is the Consultant Manager for Vetlife Helpline, the 24 hour support service for everyone in the UK veterinary community. She coordinates Vetlife’s postvention support service. Her research, based at the University of Edinburgh, looks at veterinary professionals’ suicide prevention and postvention, mental health, and wellbeing in transitions. She is on the academic advisory group for Scottish Government for suicide prevention and self-harm, and advises nationally and internationally on mental health and suicide prevention. Rosie has volunteered as a listening volunteer with Samaritans for 21 years, and is a trustee of Samaritans in the UK and Ireland.

Liz is a veterinary surgeon with broad clinical experience – from mixed practice to small animal referrals, ECC and shelter medicine. With a drive to support responsible advancement of the veterinary profession and the veterinary community, she has been involved in organisations and initiatives spanning artificial intelligence, policy, wellbeing, mental health and leadership across the globe.  As co-founder of Vet Validaite, her current focus is addressing the gaps in transparency, safety and confidence in the development and use of AI applications for animal health. Through independent validation against best practice standards, the aim is to help ensure the outputs from AI benefit animals and support the people responsible for their care.

Moore Scarrott Veterinary is an accountancy firm specialising in the finances and business advice for the veterinary profession.  Simon joined the firm in 2004 after completing his A levels. He completed his ACCA qualifications in 2008 before gaining his CTA qualification 2012. Simon progressed to become an associate partner in 2016 and a Director in 2021.

Simon works solely with vets, offering a superb service and a wealth of experience to his clients, including assisting with remuneration planning, partner buy-ins and exits, practice restructuring, buying and selling practices, start ups and many other areas of running a successful veterinary practice.

I have worked in the veterinary industry since July 2017, starting as a small animal Veterinary Receptionist and quickly discovering the breadth and importance of the role. I went on to work with practice management to create a dedicated reception staff trainer role before progressing to Team Leader at the practice’s main hospital. Alongside my practical experience, I completed a Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service.

In 2021, I was given the opportunity by the BVRA to deliver my first lecture at the virtual SPVS/VMG Congress, highlighting the impact of Covid-19 on front-of-house teams and raising awareness of the vital role they play in practice. I subsequently became one of the BVRA’s first ambassadors, representing veterinary receptionists across the UK, and have since written magazine and CPD content, developed training tools and delivered lectures at BVRA and SPVS congresses. I began my Presidency term in April this year following maternity leave and relocation to Wales, and now work within a small CVS practice in Carmarthen, where I enjoy the hands-on and rewarding nature of being part of a close-knit team.

Hannah Burgess is a Solicitor in the Real Estate Team at HCR Legal LLP, specialising in commercial property matters for healthcare and veterinary clients. She advises on all aspects of property transactions, with particular expertise in lease negotiations, acquisitions, disposals, and landlord and tenant matters. Hannah has a strong track record of supporting veterinary practices through complex property issues, including lease renewals, rent reviews, and regulatory changes impacting the sector.

Rachel is a vet working as Clinical Learning and Development Lead within XLVets, with over 25 years’ experience practicing in the UK, across independent, charity and corporate settings.

She now focuses on supporting veterinary teams through mentoring, quality improvement and leadership development, working with practices to build confidence, capability and sustainable ways of working. Rachel and her XLVets colleagues help members engage with the XLVets Mentoring Exchange Scheme and deliver a range of mentoring and training initiatives designed to support professionals at all career stages.

Rachel is particularly interested in human factors and how teams learn, communicate and perform in practice, and enjoys creating safe, collaborative spaces where members can share experiences and learn from each other.

This session will be supported by XLVets members sharing their own mentoring experiences from within practice.

Sally Cullen is a small animal vet at Wallace Vets on the north-east coast of Scotland, having qualified from the University of Glasgow in 2021. She has a particular interest in chronic pain and acupuncture, having completed the WVAG Foundation Acupuncture and Chronic Pain courses, with plans to complete certification in both areas.
Alongside her clinical work, Sally has developed a strong passion for improving Extra-Mural Studies (EMS) for veterinary students. What began as an attempt to improve the structure and experience of EMS within her own practice has grown into a wider project across XL Vets. Over the past year, she has presented on the current challenges facing EMS and practical ways practices can improve their approach, while leading an XL Vets working group focused on supporting practices to coordinate placements and provide a more consistent and valuable experience for students.
Sally is passionate about sharing practical ideas, creating useful resources and encouraging practices to take ownership of EMS, with the aim of supporting both veterinary practices and the next generation of vets.

Ryan Davis has been in practice since 2002 and is an RCVS advanced practitioner in surgery.  Starting as a Farm vet in a six vet practice he was part of a team that built a 36 vet 11 site practice through merger acquisition and start up.  This journey segued into corporate work involving clinical practice development for 4 years before starting an ambulatory surgical mentoring service and then latterly an 8 vet referral and first opinion centre.

Tracie Dunn is an experienced veterinary HR professional with a passion for developing people and supporting career growth. Having spent the last eight years working within a large, independent veterinary practice, she has seen first hand the difference that effective mentoring can make to confidence, capability, retention, and career satisfaction. Today, she shares practical insights on building and developing a culture of mentoring within veterinary practice.

Gavin qualified from Edinburgh in 1994 and has spent nearly 30 years at Thrums Vets, an independent mixed practice in Scotland. During that time, he has seen the practice grow from six vets and four support staff to a team of nearly 70, including 28 vets working over 4 sites. He is a director of Thrums Vets, a director of XL Vets UK and also a member of the SPVS Board.
Gavin has a particular interest in how veterinary practices can develop an excellent clinical offering that is both sustainable for the business and affordable for clients. Much of his recent work has focused on subscriptions and how they can be incorporated into the wider practice model to improve access to care, strengthen client relationships and support long-term practice sustainability.
He believes that change in veterinary practice is now constant, but direction remains a choice and is fascinated by how we can rethink traditional models of practice to build something better for clients, teams and the profession.

Dr Camilla Edwards DVM CertAVP MRCVS is a veterinary surgeon and the founder of FOVU Report, a structured ultrasound reporting tool developed in response to research identifying a widespread gap between the clinical value of diagnostic imaging and how that value is communicated to clients and colleagues. Alongside clinical practice, she has conducted interviews and surveys with vets exploring confidence, communication and the business impact of diagnostic documentation.

I graduated from Cambridge in 2003 and have worked in the same independent practice in Bedford ever since.  Initially it was a mixed practice and over the years has become a small animal and exotic practice.  During my time I gained my GP cert in small animal medicine and I am currently an advanced practitioner in small animal diagnostic imaging.

I became a director of the business in 2013 and a shareholder in 2018.  Alongside the clinical work I have a passion for business development, responsible leadership, promoting financial literacy within the practice and encouraging an excellent standard of EMS.

Out of work I have two young boys which keep me busy and I enjoy long distance running and strength training.  I joined SPVS board in 2021 in the hope I can make a difference and inspire and encourage more young women to join the organisation.

Brian graduated from Edinburgh Vet School in 1995 and worked in mixed practice before studying for an MBA at Nottingham Business School in 2001. Brian completed a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, as well as General Practice certificates in Business and Professional Studies and Small Animal Medicine. He was the UK Petplan Vet of the Year in 2008. Brian is a Past President of SPVS, a co-founder of BVRA, and co-founder of Vetpreneur.  He has worked in over 250 practices a clinical locum before setting up and developed over 15 veterinary practices from start-ups during the last 20 years, including his own practices as well as Joint Ventures within Vetcentric, which he co-founded in 2021.  He currently owns and works as a clinician 3 days a week in his current practice in Suffolk, Aldeburgh Vets. He is a regular speaker at conferences in UK and abroad and also works as a coach and consultant though Vetology. He is an Associate Professor in Veterinary Business at Nottingham University Vet School.  In July 2020 he was awarded the title Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (FRCVS) in recognition of outstanding contributions to the veterinary profession.  In 2022 he was awarded the RCVS Inspiration Award.

Katie Ford FRCVS and Claire Grigson MRCVS are experienced veterinary surgeons, coaches and co-founders of Vet Empowered, with over 30 years’ combined experience across first opinion practice, charity, ECC and leadership roles.

They are passionate about supporting the humans of veterinary medicine to reconnect with themselves beyond their job titles, and to create careers and workplaces that feel meaningful, sustainable and aligned with who they are.

Through coaching, speaking, CPD, workshops, events and organisational collaborations, Katie and Claire have supported hundreds of veterinary professionals and teams to navigate the human side of veterinary practice, strengthen self-awareness and leadership, and build healthier, more empowered ways of working.

Their work brings together extensive experience of veterinary medicine with a trauma-informed, human-centred approach to leadership, culture and professional wellbeing – and is often described by those they support as ‘life changing’.

Paul graduated in Agriculture and Farm Business Management and developed his career into senior roles managing large estates with multi-site dairy, beef, sheep, and large-scale arable operations across businesses in England and Scotland.

In 2009 he set up as an independent advisor and consultant and works on a variety of projects with farmers, retailers, and food processors. He has been involved with several training and development projects for food processors and major UK retailers. Until recently he was also actively involved as a manager and advisor to a European property investment company with a UK farming portfolio involved with large scale dairy and arable businesses.

He lives in Cheshire but has travelled extensively and worked in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and studied agricultural businesses and farming practises in Europe, New Zealand Canada, and the USA. Paul is also a director of the recruitment and training business and in recent years has become more involved in training the next generation helping young people develop their leadership and management skills, knowledge, confidence, and ability.

He has taken over 100 young people through planned development programmes to help them improve their industry knowledge and their management and leadership skills. Paul is also a Nuffield Farming Scholar.

Dr. Julie Gibson is a veterinary surgeon with over 20 years of first-opinion clinical experience. Her recent PhD developed a framework to help practices build a culture of support, reflection and continuous learning around adverse events and complaints-helping teams to prevent challenging situations and to use them as opportunities to improve if they do arise. She believes the best veterinary care happens when everyone involved shares knowledge, understands each other’s perspectives, and shapes decisions around the individual animal, client and situation. At RCVS Knowledge, Julie designs and delivers practical tools, resources and training, and advises on the longer-term development of initiatives that empower practice teams to put this into action.

James qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 1992 and worked in clinical practice until 2019. In 2022 he completed an MSc in the neuroscience and psychology of mental health, with a dissertation on the shame and stigma around disclosing mental ill-health in the veterinary field. He is currently a doctoral researcher at the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab at the University of Glasgow, where his PhD explores suicide risk among veterinary professionals. His research integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to better understand risk and protective factors for suicide. The goal is to inform practical interventions for reducing suicide risk among veterinary professionals, including vets, nurses, and students.

Steven has been a clinical vet for 25 years and has been a practice owner for 17 of those years, first setting up a small animal clinic in Sheffield, and more recently owning, working and managing a small animal practice in rural Lincolnshire.

Two years ago he set up an independent emergency practice in deepest, darkest Lincolnshire which now covers 10 vet practices, providing 24 hour care for East Lincolnshire patients and a more sane work-life balance for vets and nurses in the area. The independent emergency practice is pioneering one of the first monthly emergency only membership subscription service for patients.

His main areas of interest are in developing and growing the clinical and non-clinical teams in his practices, and stimulating them to understand why we all behave differently and what our different motivators are in independent practices, in order that we can all have long lasting and fulfilling careers in this amazing profession

Andy’s professional journey spans over 30 years in the veterinary sector both as a practicing vet and as a practice owner, leader and co-founder of the world’s largest veterinary Employee Ownership Trust.

Now a TEDx speaker, trainer, facilitator, mentor and Neurostrategist, his work focuses on enhancing leadership capability, building high-performing teams and thriving cultures, and developing strategic thinking through his consultancy, Andy Green Consulting. Certified in NLP, Neurostrategies, Contribution Compass and Harrison Assessments behavioural profiling, Andy combines deep professional experience with sophisticated behavioural insights to unlock potential and producing genuine transformational change when working with both individuals, teams and organisations.

Andy also works with Vet Dynamics as a mentor and business development consultant, and is a Director of Pennard Vets, an award-winning Employee-Owned small animal practice, where he is currently Chair of their Employee Ownership Trust Board.

Katie Ford FRCVS and Claire Grigson MRCVS are experienced veterinary surgeons, coaches and co-founders of Vet Empowered, with over 30 years’ combined experience across first opinion practice, charity, ECC and leadership roles.

They are passionate about supporting the humans of veterinary medicine to reconnect with themselves beyond their job titles, and to create careers and workplaces that feel meaningful, sustainable and aligned with who they are.

Through coaching, speaking, CPD, workshops, events and organisational collaborations, Katie and Claire have supported hundreds of veterinary professionals and teams to navigate the human side of veterinary practice, strengthen self-awareness and leadership, and build healthier, more empowered ways of working.

Their work brings together extensive experience of veterinary medicine with a trauma-informed, human-centred approach to leadership, culture and professional wellbeing – and is often described by those they support as ‘life changing’.

Chloé is a travel-obsessed locum small animal vet and registered Yoga Alliance Professionals yoga/meditation teacher, and founded VetYogi in 2017 to improve the physical, mental & emotional wellbeing of the veterinary community. Through VetYogi, Chloé (and her team of fabulous associate yoga teachers), provides yoga & meditation classes tailored to veterinary needs, delivers in-practice CPD wellbeing workshops and conference/event speaker sessions, and offers an online wellbeing membership platform, the VetYogi Collective. With a mix of on-demand and live yoga and meditation classes, the VetYogi Collective creates exclusive content for the whole veterinary team, and offers a variety of yoga & meditation styles and membership benefits to suit each role in our community, from vets & nurses to receptionists, management & students. For more information see www.vetyogi.com

Jo Harris is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology and the co-founder and Managing Director of the HeartVets group. She participates in regular cardiology referral clinics in the South-West UK and leads the interventional surgery programme. Jo also oversees the HeartVets telemedicine service which provides ECG, Holter monitoring and cardiology equipment and expertise to vets across the world. As one of the original founders, Jo has managed the business through a great deal of change and most recently navigated the transition to Employee Ownership for the clinical referral service.

Suzanne has worked solely with veterinary practices for over 20 years accumulating an in-depth knowledge of the sector and an enjoyment for seeing her clients grow and succeed.

Suzanne and her team work with veterinary practices to help improve their profits and review practice efficiency, discuss benchmarking, assist with pricing strategies and provide advice on tax planning for both the business and the individuals.  She also advises on succession planning, new owners, new practice start ups and goodwill valuations.

Kate is a Vet, leader, business owner and consultant with over 20 years experience in practice.

Since acquiring her single vet practice in Merseyside 12 years ago, along with her husband and co-director, she has invested heavily in team and culture, growing it to a 2 site, 7 vet practice where her amazing Team Pawsome have the autonomy to run the day to day and maintain their reputation for outstanding client care.

Always looking for ways to change and innovate, they became one of the first vet practices to include unlimited consults in their health plan, and over two years ago they also became one of the first membership-only practices in the UK.

Since qualifying in 2001 I have worked in a variety of veterinary practices and have been exposed to a wide range of technical procedures as well as different business models and management styles. I have recognised that in order to be successful, a vet requires the key mix of veterinary ethics and technical knowledge with business acumen and people skills. I have contributed substantially to the practices in which I have been employed leading to greater support for customer needs, higher revenues, improved day-to-day routines and enhanced levels of job satisfaction in these establishments.
I completed my MBA in 2015 and have published multiple articles whilst writing a book entitled “Vets In Business’ in conjunction with a world renowned author in the area of ‘Operations Management’ providing a fresh perspective on the profession.

Sarah is a registered veterinary nurse, with over 20 years’ experience in the profession.  Sarah has worked within a primary care and referral setting. She has experience in both clinical and non-clinical roles including leadership, mentoring and coaching student veterinary nurses.

Sarah has a certificate in nursing exotic species and feline and canine behaviour.

Since 2016, she has worked as part of the senior nursing team within a busy referral hospital. Here she assisted in the setup of the medical oncology department and plays a key role in coaching and mentoring the nursing team to maintain a high standard of nursing care for all oncology patients. She obtained an award in leadership and management in 2024 and gained a specialist veterinary technician status in oncology in 2023, lectures internationally and publishes oncology-related articles in a number of veterinary journals. Sarah is currently the president of the British Veterinary Nurse Association

Paul Horwood is a veterinary surgeon, business leader and trainer with a career spanning the military, clinical practice, and professional leadership. After serving as an Officer in the Royal Marines, he qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 2000 and went on to grow Westpoint Farm Vets into one of the UK’s leading farm practices.

He later co-founded Sandstone Communications, a leadership consultancy supporting professionals with leadership and management skills, before returning to the profession as Country Head of Farm at IVC Evidensia, overseeing more than 50 sites and 400 vets.

Paul holds a Diploma in Bovine Reproduction and an MBA, and plays an active role in the wider profession as a Trustee and Treasurer of Vetlife and a Non-Executive Director of the BVA.

Thom is a vet and has run veterinary clinic groups internationally. He has sat on the board of and been an advisor to various companies both within and outside of the veterinary sector. He is the CEO and Co-founder of PetsApp, a client communication and engagement tool used by over 400 clinics, thousands of veterinary professionals and over a million pets in the UK alone. Thom is proud of the work the PetsApp pack have done in alleviating the load on veterinary teams facilitating business growth, while improving the care received by pets and their owners.

Caroline Johnson is Director of Vetpol, a family-run business that trains and registers SQP’s.

Caroline has built a career in veterinary pharmaceuticals working for several major companies in a range of roles that include sales, training, marketing and business development; all these skills are now deployed in running Vetpol and making a difference in the SQP sector, where her and her husband seek to continually improve standards, deliver great service and build a community of SQPs who support one another.

Robyn Lowe BSc (Hons), Dip AVN (Surgery, Medicine, Anaesthesia), DipHE CVN is a small animal Registered Advanced Veterinary Nurse (AVN) who regularly writes articles for academic journals and publications for animal owners. Robyn has a passion for evidence-based medicine, has volunteered for Canine Arthritis Management to write owner literature, is Director of Veterinary Voices UK, runs the Veterinary Voices Public Page, and campaigns on mental health and animal welfare issues. To this end she also sits on the Board of Trustees of Vetlife, the first RVN to do so in the charity’s history. Robyn is still working in clinical first opinion practice, so has first-hand experience of the current issues faced by UK veterinary practices – she wants to see more practices act proactively to create a positive work environment that results in sustainable workload, content employees, great retention and supportive practice culture.

Jill has been in the veterinary nursing profession for over 25 years, starting in primary care practice for 12 years, and as a head nurse, clinical coach, and assessor, then moving on to the University of Liverpool Vet School to set up, develop, and deliver veterinary undergraduate and postgraduate education.

She has a passion for the progression of the veterinary nursing role, and many of her activities over the past few years have worked towards this aim, including the creation of the first veterinary nurse-specific communication guide.

She currently holds a role with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) as Veterinary Nursing Progression and Development Lead, with recent projects including ‘VN Vision’, and ‘A vision or a necessity? Strengthening the role of veterinary nurses in team-based veterinary healthcare’.

I am the Founder & Director at Heedly, a vet specialist marketing agency that helps clinics grow and improve their loyalty. I have been doing marketing for 15 years across a range of industries and working with vet clinics for the last 5 years. Our marketing is focused on driving ROI and helping practices achieve their objectives.

Rebecca is a vet, marketer and consumer psychologist. She’s the founder and Managing Director of InsideMinds, the veterinary communications company that harnesses the power of behavioural science to help veterinary practices turn more conversations into action, create engaged, loyal clients and make the lives of clinic teams easier. Rebecca works with veterinary businesses to help them communicate their value, improve client experience and create better clinical outcomes.

Dr Paul Manktelow brings a dynamic and diverse 20-year career in the veterinary sector, enriched by extensive experience in clinical practice, leadership, communication, strategy, and business development. As Chief Vet at Blue Cross, Paul is at the helm of delivering the charity’s UK veterinary services, driving continuous service improvement, leading transformative change, and pioneering sustainable veterinary service models for the future.

Paul’s leadership journey is rooted in a ‘grassroots’ approach, enabling him to adeptly navigate the complexities of modern veterinary practice. His practical experience spans all levels of an organisation, from serving as a clinician on the front line to steering strategic initiatives as a senior leader. This unique blend of hands-on experience and strategic insight positions Paul as a compelling and knowledgeable speaker, ready to inspire and guide others in the veterinary field.

Katie is Chief Executive Officer of RCVS Knowledge, the charity with a mission to advance the quality of veterinary care for the benefit of animals, the public and society. Since joining RCVS Knowledge in 2023, a key focus of her work has been leading the development of a programme of work to support veterinary teams and animal owners to achieve contextualised care.

With a professional background in healthcare communications, Katie has spent most of her career working in organisations operating at the interface of (human) health policy and innovation. Building on her academic background in human sciences, she is particularly fascinated by the interconnections between animal, human and environmental health and the role of animals in our society. She is a lay trustee of the Royal College of Pharmacy.

Helen Mason is a leadership coach and team facilitator with an extensive business background in the veterinary profession including UK Marketing Director at IVC Evidensia and Head of Ruminant Marketing at MSD Animal Health.  Helen is a Director with VMG (Veterinary Management Group) where she blends her marketing, leadership and coaching expertise to continue her contribution to an industry very close to her heart. As a qualified and accredited coach, Helen has two areas of expertise where she can support your practice.

Helen specialises in team facilitation, helping practices build trust, navigate healthy conflict and create stronger team dynamics that deliver better results. As a certified Systemic Team Coach, she considers the wider environment in which teams operate. She also supports women and working parents with leadership challenges including imposter feelings, communicating with confidence, people pleasing, returning from maternity leave and mum guilt, through one-to-one and small group coaching.

Emma originally qualified and worked as a solicitor in private practice, specialising in employment law. She started working for Citation in 2007 working on the Employment Law Team, first as an adviser and then as a manager. In 2019 she moved to work as a Professional Support Solicitor in our Professional Support Team. Her role includes delivering training and seminars as well as researching and guiding on difficult employment law points, always looking for practical approaches that work for the particular client.

Philip Molden is Director and Co-founder of Working Feedback, a UK-based feedback and online reputation platform established in 2006. For over 20 years, Philip has helped healthcare, dental, veterinary and professional service organisations collect, understand and act on client and patient feedback.

Working Feedback supports organisations in using reviews and feedback through a monthly subscription solution, not simply as marketing tools but as practical business intelligence: helping teams improve communication, strengthen trust, identify recurring themes, recognise excellent service and build stronger public reputations.

Philip has particular experience in regulated and trust-based sectors where transparency, responsiveness and public confidence are essential. His work focuses on helping practices move beyond reputation management towards reputation development: using feedback to support better decisions, stronger teams and more trusted client relationships.

Since qualifying from Glasgow in 2001 I have held a wide variety of roles including mixed
veterinary practitioner, small animal vet, practice owner, Clinical Director, and Clinical
Board member within VetPartners – before returning once again to practice ownership with
an independent practice.
Throughout my career, I have always prioritised team development and practice standards,
regardless of my role. I am an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery and
completed an MBA in 2024. I also part of the RCVS Working Group for Clinical Career
Pathways.
Our practice was named as one of three RCVS Knowledge Champions in 2026 for our work on
reducing pre-op stress in our surgical patients.

Alan has an agricultural business degree and 29 years’ experience in the Animal Health Pharmaceutical sector; he currently is the Commercial Operations Lead for the Elanco Sales and Strategic Account Teams.

Alan has developed many of Elanco’s ‘Value Beyond Product Programs’ and uses his knowledge to develop strategies to support veterinary practices.

Pete graduated in 1983 from Bristol University.

He joined a Leicester practice in 1984, working with colleagues to grow the business from a 4 vet, 10 person predominantly single site business, to a 4 site business with 7 business operations employing over 120 people.

Pete has worked as a part time business consultant for Anval since 2000 and helps provide practical insights into how veterinary practices can improve their business operations and achieve their goals.  He is also a Director and co- founder of myhealthyherd.com®: a web health management tool to help vets and farmers improve cattle health.

He became a Board Member for SPVS in January 2020 and is currently SPVS President.  In 2021 He was awarded a Fellowship of the RCVS for Meritorious Contributions to the Profession.

Pete’s major passions have always been how to improve the quality of work we can provide for clients whilst achieving a happy well-balanced motivated team.

He has been involved in the EMS, CMA and Legislative working groups and takes a keen interest in how practices can continue to thrive and develop.

Flo is a veterinary surgeon and commercial leader with extensive experience across the veterinary sector, spanning clinical practice, pharmaceuticals, portfolio management, marketing and business strategy. She currently works as Head of Business Development at Vetsure, where she leads strategic sales and marketing activity across Vetsure’s key business areas, including its pet health plan offering. She works closely with independent veterinary practices to understand the challenges they face and develop solutions that support their growth, efficiency and long-term sustainability.

After graduating from the University of Bristol in 2018 she spent three years working in clinical practice before moving into the pharmaceutical industry where she held commercial and strategic roles within Zoetis and then H&H Group for their direct-to-consumer brands. Her experience includes portfolio strategy, pricing, financial management, customer engagement, product development and marketing.

Florence also holds an MBA from Imperial College London, giving her a strong commercial and strategic perspective alongside her practical understanding of life in veterinary practice. She is particularly interested in how innovative business models, including subscription and pet health plans, can create value for both practices and their clients while supporting long-term practice sustainability.

Brooke is the Business Development Manager at James Street Veterinary Centre, where she leads marketing, business development, and systems implementation. With a background in graphic design and social media management, she brings a creative and strategic approach to growing the practice’s brand. Passionate about reputation, client experience, and authentic marketing, she enjoys helping practices build strong connections with their local communities.

Jack is a Veterinary IT Expert, Certified Ethical Hacker and CEO of Veterinary IT Services, he has worked alongside the veterinary sector since he set up his first business at age 16. He has made it his mission to help veterinary clinics across the UK utilise their technology so that they can function in a secure, professional and efficient manner, leaving vets to focus on patient care. He is passionate about ensuring he has created something that outlives him and supports other businesses to be efficient and profitable. Jack is an animal lover, and super passionate about wingsuiting – his hobby that has developed into representing Great Britain in the British Wingsuit Acrobatics team.

Dr Hannah Perrin is an educator, coach, and researcher in veterinary leadership development.  From her first job on reception, her experience includes running a busy four-site practice, teaching at RVC, and postgraduate study; earning her PhD in Veterinary Education in 2015, exploring veterinary professional identity and work-role transitions.  As Learning & Development lead for VMG, she created, launched, and led the Certificate in Veterinary Leadership & Management (CVLM) programme.  She currently teaches at UCLan and Harper-Keele vet schools, and in 2024 founded Clarity Professional to help veterinary leaders grow with kindness and confidence in jobs that bring them joy.  She is a keen maker of things, parkrunner, and pianist, and lives beside the seaside in Kent.

With 20 years of experience and award-winning roles in both independent and corporate practices, Justin founded Practice Made Purrfect in 2020. This marketing consultancy is dedicated to helping veterinary practices deliver the best possible service to their clients and patients.

Justin is passionate about the potential of marketing to inform and inspire, particularly within the veterinary industry, which he has grown to love with each heart-warming success story.

As a proud pet parent to a Maine Coon named Poppy Gabriella, he understands the deep bonds between owners and their pets and the vital role vets play in their lives. Justin believes that improving communication within the industry is essential to enhancing these relationships.

The British Veterinary Receptionist Association is the professional body dedicated to supporting, training and championing veterinary receptionists and client care teams.  BVRA works to professionalise the receptionist role, raise standards across the sector, and strengthen collaboration between clinical and non-clinical teams.  Through accredited training, membership, resources, events and career pathways, BVRA helps practices recognise the vital contribution veterinary receptionists make to client care, team culture and practice success.

Hannah qualified from the RVC in 2001, before starting work in a rural practice which had been rocked by the impact of that year’s Foot and Mouth Outbreak. Between 2007 and 2022 she was a partner in a mixed practice in the Welsh borders, latterly concentrating on small animal work. An interest in workplace psychology and mental health prompted Hannah to complete a Psychology MSc, which was followed by work in academic and coaching roles. Hannah is now a trustee of Vetlife and also works part time as a Claims Advisor for the Veterinary Defence Society.

Originally from New Zealand, Courtney trained and qualified as a veterinary nurse and began her career in 2007, working across multiple clinics before moving to Australia and later relocating to the UK. She has since gained extensive experience in anaesthesia, working in the anaesthesia department of a university hospital and in referral hospitals. Courtney founded Veterinary Anursethesia in 2016 while completing her Nurses Certificate in Anaesthesia with Improve International, before going on to achieve a Postgraduate Certificate in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia from the University of Edinburgh, awarded with distinction. She is currently completing a further postgraduate certificate in Veterinary Education, Mentorship and Leadership with the University of Lancashire.

Courtney is an accomplished author and international speaker, having published several journal articles and textbook chapters. She is currently authoring two veterinary textbooks, due for publication in 2026 with Wiley and CABI, and regularly delivers CPD at events and national congresses around the world.

Helen qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2000 and has worked across both first opinion and referral practice. Since qualifying, she has gained certificates in Emergency and Critical Care and Small Animal Nutrition, alongside the Advanced Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Surgical). In 2021, Helen completed an MSc in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors at the The University of Edinburgh and is currently undertaking a PhD at Sheffield Hallam University exploring the non-technical skills veterinary nurses require when monitoring and maintaining anaesthesia.

 Helen is passionate about advancing the veterinary profession’s understanding of Human Factors as a means of improving patient safety, enhancing performance, and supporting the wellbeing of veterinary teams. She lectures internationally and has written articles and co-authored several book chapters covering both clinical and non-clinical aspects of practice. Helen is also collaborating with the University of Aberdeen on research exploring incivility within veterinary practice.

 In recognition of her contribution to the profession, Helen will be a proud recipient of the 2026 Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Inspiration Award, recognising her leadership and development work across the veterinary profession.

Rebecca Stephens is the UK’s first Veterinary Social Worker and is an Associate Professor in Social Work at the University of Sussex. Her research and practice focus on strengthening partnerships across social work and social care, veterinary, and animal welfare to promote the welfare and safety of animals and the people who care for them. Rebecca has been instrumental in developing innovative models to support the human side of veterinary care in the UK and Australia.

I worked for 15 years initially in mixed then in small animal practice gaining a certificate in surgery. I then diversified into education and worked as a senior lecturer in clinical practice and Clinical Programme Lead at Surrey Vet School. In this role I designed and embedded a full immersive simulation programme into the curriculum, my teaching predominantly involved professional skills and small animal surgery. I currently work in small animal practice; I work as an academic tutor in surgery for BSAVA and I work for Vet Led running immersive simulation and human factors training.

I have taught debrief training and simulation training at undergraduate level, on new graduate programmes and as CPD programmes for experienced vets in practice.

I have a Masters in Higher Education and I am a Senior Fellow of Higher Education Authority.

Mark Turner is a veterinary surgeon in first opinion practice, researcher and writer. His academic focus is quality improvement and patient safety but has interests in leadership, communication, staff engagement and the psychology of groups. He has a Masters of Research degree from the RVC and is currently studying organisational psychology at Liverpool University.

Francesca is all about pets and their people. Graduating in 2012 from Cambridge, she pivoted away from cows to the big smoke where she has worked ever since in a range of Veterinary roles. A baptism-of-fire New grad job in Croydon, followed by nearly a decade at Village Vet seeing its transition from Independent to Linnaeus-owned ensured. During this time she moved from all clinical work to a Lead Vet job and eventually the London Lead Clinical Director role, overseeing the financial performance, clinical standards and people happiness for 21 sites including a 24hr hospital. Now smitten with leadership and all things business, she couldn’t resist the lure of entrepreneurship (who can?) and opened Pet People Vets together with Ian Stroud in 2022. Truly believing in collaboration she also setup LIVE (London Independent Vet Enterprise) in the same year as a community, knowledge-sharing group which hosts non-clinical CPD and converses actively about all things start-up. An unashamedly committed vet, Francesca spends lots of time in the consult room still, enjoys learning and contributing to the profession outside of her practice, runs ultramarathons very slowly and cares for two little people one of whom is currently pretending to be a dog full time.

Andrew Whitfield-Roberts, RVN, DipNCS (RVN Cons), CertNCS (RVN Cons), CertNCS (VPM), NCert (Physio), began his veterinary nursing career in 2008 in Shropshire, qualifying as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2015. He has held a range of leadership roles, including Head Nurse, Senior Nurse, Clinical Director (maternity cover), and Practice Manager, and is currently Head Nurse at White Cross Vets.
Committed to continuous professional development, Andrew has achieved qualifications in wound management, veterinary nurse consulting, practice management, and physiotherapy. He is passionate about education and advancing the role of RVNs, encouraging nurses to reach their full potential while supporting greater diversity in the profession.
Alongside his clinical work, Andrew volunteers as a listener with Samaritans, serves as a director for the Veterinary Management Group, and is a trustee of Dachshund Health.

After earning his veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary College in 2002, Alex completed an internship at the Queen Mother Hospital and later earned a certificate in small animal medicine. His diverse background includes training as a chef in 2007 and running a cake business for 10 years with his wife while continuing to work as a vet. In 2019, Alex co-founded Mulberry House Vets in Wokingham, which has grown into a two-site practice with ten full-time equivalent vets over 7 years. With his combination of clinical and business experience, Alex focuses on delivering exceptional veterinary care while building successful practice operations