Paul has had a varied career so far, initially an Officer in the Royal Marines, Paul left and trained as a vet at RVC, qualifying in 2000, but kept his links with the military, returning to the front line in Afghanistan in 2012 with the Grenadier Guards.

After an Internship at the Royal Veterinary College London, and the University of California, Paul joined Westpoint Farm Vets, becoming partner, owner and director along the way, before selling the Veterinary Group to Private Equity in 2015.

In 2017, Paul diversified out of clinical practice and set up a leadership training consultancy, Sandstone Communications, with some other interesting people he had met, using his experiences of business, adventuring, and the military to bring to life the soft skills we need to succeed.  It also supports, and mentors aspiring British Olympic athletes.

Paul has an MSc in Bovine Reproduction, an MBA from Open University, is a trustee of Vetlife, is a Mental Health First-aider, and is a founder of VetYou, a financial advice platform for the veterinary profession.

Managing a peripatetic workforce, be they large animal or equine, can be difficult at the best of times and the restrictions around the pandemic have exacerbated this.  The loneliness and isolation felt by some vets has been cited as reasons for leaving the profession while others have talked about the negative impact on mental health and wellbeing.  For the boss or manager, having to interact, motivate, and lead the team remotely is just that much harder.  Paul Horwood has worked in large animal practice in the US and UK, including as a Partner in a large animal veterinary group.  He now runs a management consultancy helping businesses large and small outside the profession create high performing teams.  He brings this mix of experience to discuss how you can best support, manage, and lead a team who spend most of their working day on farms, in yards or on the road.