Cecilia Villaverde Haro, BVSc, PhD, Diplomate (Nutrition) of the ACVIM (Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist®), Diplomate ECVCN (EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition) She obtained her veterinary degree in 2000 and her PhD in animal nutrition in 2005 by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain. She worked as a post doctoral researcher in feline nutrition at the University of California Davis, where she also completed a residency in small animal clinical nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She is board certified in veterinary nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition) and by the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN) since 2010 and is currently the past president of ECVCN. After working as the chief of service of the veterinary teaching hospital nutrition service in Barcelona (UAB) for 6 years, she is now a consultant in clinical nutrition for Expert Pet Nutrition (www.expertpetnutrition.com) and Veterinary Information Network (VIN). She is the co-chair of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee and has written several articles and book chapters on the topic of companion animal nutrition.

Aarti graduated from the RVC in 2006, before completing her rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, RVC, in 2007 and her PhD in canine inflammatory bowel disease at the RVC in 2011. Aarti then completed a three year residency program in small animal internal medicine at Cornell University in 2014 and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (SAIM). She also completed a two year small animal clinical nutrition residency program at the University of California-Davis in 2016. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition). Aarti was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Bristol  between 2016 and 2018, before returning to the RVC in 2018.

Having worked in first-opinion and all small animal specialist departments of a teaching hospital and private referral hospital in Scotland since 2000, I found my true passion and became the Dick Vet nutrition nurse in 2015. I have expanded the Fit for Life nutrition service to provide bespoke nutrition advice to any referred patient from our specialist vet teams and first-opinion clinic. I also run follow-up clinics to monitor these patients and support clients implementing a specific diet plan at home. On a daily basis I help with the needs of in-patient feeding plans and teach our undergraduate vet students during lectures, clinical skills sessions and practical assessments. Evidence based veterinary medicine is a particular interest of mine and I have daily duties being involved with the hospital’s clinical research projects. I enjoy time off taking care of my home and garden which I share with my husband, 2 dogs, 3 chickens and honey-bee hives. We enjoy the great outdoors walking mountains, rock climbing, cycling and motor biking. In February 2021, in snow and ice, I started outdoor swimming. I have continued twice weekly in the sea, reservoirs, rivers and lochs of Scotland.

Dr. Churchill is Professor at the UMN CVM and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Nutrition. She completed two residencies and her PhD at the U of M (internal medicine and clinical nutrition) before taking a faculty position there. She is passionate about all aspects of small animal nutrition including the role of addressing changes in nutritional needs of patients throughout life during health and disease. Dr. Churchill serves on the Boards of Pet Nutrition Alliance and the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

Jill has been a veterinary nurse in the UK for over 20 years, and has worked as a head nurse, clinical coach and assessor, and in veterinary undergraduate and postgraduate education. She has a passion for veterinary communication and has worked on this area with veterinary undergraduates at several veterinary schools, and with nurses studying for the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing. A recent research project developed a comprehensive framework specifically focussed on veterinary nurse-client communication. Jill founded, owns and manages ONCORE ePD, who provide online CPD for the veterinary profession. In January 2019, Jill took up a post with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to lead the VN Futures Project; an initiative which aims to address the challenges and exploit the opportunities in the Veterinary Nursing profession in the UK.

Rosa has held various leadership roles, she started her career in UNILEVER Spain, in concrete in the FIC (Food Industry Cleaning), then moved to Rhone-Mériuex as Marketing Director in Spain and quickly she had been promoted as European Marketing Director at Merial SAS in France, where she established marketing networks, developed strategies for key product portfolios, and coordinated product launches and business development. She decided to relocate to Spain and joined a new role as Specialist Business Unit Director at Nestlé Petcare España S.A., then she joined the European team in Switzerland as Head of Veterinary Channel EMENA were she developed a regional expansion model, implemented a new business model, and led the execution of growth, profit, and market share objectives. She moved to the international hub in Barcelona as Head of Veterinary Advocacy Zone Europe and recently she has been appointed as Head of B2B and Veterinary Affairs Zone Europe with focus on driving business transformation, creating a robust B2B strategy, recommending portfolio strategies, and developing strategic alliances and partnerships. She is currently FEDIAF President (Europan Petfood Industry) and member of the Board of Directors

Jenifer finished her Veterinary degree in 2010 and her residency program in Small Animal Nutrition in 2016. She is doctor (PhD) in veterinary medicine and has worked as an associate professor in pet nutrition in the Veterinary School of the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona (UAB) (Spain) where she was also managing the research line in pet nutrition of the Animal Nutrition and Welfare Service. She was in charge of the Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Service in the Hospital Clínic Veterinari (UAB). She joined Nestlé PURINA EMENA in 2017 and she is currently the Vet Health Care Professionals Scientific Affairs at Nestlé PURINA Europe. Jenifer has scientific communications in national and international congresses and publications in national and international peer reviewed journals.

After graduating from the Veterinary Faculty (Zaragoza-Spain), Daniel spent five years dedicated to research in several areas impacting pet health and animal welfare followed by a PhD at the University of Zaragoza. Daniel was subsequently appointed as Technician for Scientific Services in relevant Pharmaceutical companies in the Pet Health sector, followed by a move to Regional and Global Marketing and Technical positions with a strong communication role during 15 years. Daniel obtained several certificates and awards along his professional career, with special focus in the area of Science, Marketing and Communication. In 2018, coinciding with the foundation of the Purina Institute, Daniel took its regional leadership covering the area of EMENA as part of Nestlé Purina PetCare. Since then, through the amplification of the Purina Institute, as the voice of Purina´s research in the area of pet nutrition, Daniel has played an active role sharing fact-based research and scientific perspectives on key nutrition topics. He has hosted dozens of scientific events, and facilitated nutrition conversations via partnerships with relevant regional organizations and societies, such as the European Congress of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM-CA), the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), European College of Veterinary Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN), and European Society of Comparative Gastroenterology (ESCG), among others.