High-quality data is increasingly central to drug discovery, yet much of it remains fragmented, difficult to interpret, and hard to translate into clear R&D decisions. Ruchi Sharma, CEO of Stemnovate, shares how the company has navigated data complexity across human and animal health to build reproducible, species-relevant models that support more informed drug discovery decisions.
Ruchi Sharma
CEO and Founder
Stemnovate
Securing the right exit is critical to ensuring innovation achieves full market potential. Louise Grubb, Managing Director of TriviumVet, shares how the company balanced growth milestones, resisted low valuations, and leveraged regulatory success to secure the right partner at the right time to achieve sustainable scale post-acquisition.
Milestone - Acquisition
Companion
Feline
Canine
Cardiovascular
Renal
Pain
Gastro
Acquisition
Exit
Louise Grubb
CEO & Co-Founder
TriviumVet
Nutrition is emerging as a powerful tool for preventing disease and strengthening immunity in livestock. Changemakers leading this shift explore the opportunities and hurdles that will shape evidence generation, farmer adoption, and the scaling of preventative nutrition across global production systems.
- Evidence generation – building the data to prove measurable impact on health and productivity
- Scaling adoption – integrating precision nutrition into commercial production systems
Livestock
Biopharma
Nutrition
Panellists
Aaron Schacht
CEO
BiomEdit
Philippe Tramoy
Partner
Seventure Partners
Patrick Meeus
Managing Director – Innovation
Nutreco
Monoclonal antibodies are redefining therapeutic possibilities in animal health, offering precise, targeted alternatives to traditional treatments. With next-generation innovation expanding into new disease areas and species, changemakers at the forefront examine the opportunities and hurdles that will shape development, approval, and adoption.
- Regulatory pathways – navigating approval processes for novel biologics
- Clinical adoption – driving veterinary education and confidence in new therapies
Companion
Biopharma
Panellists
Denise Bevers
President & CEO
VETmAb Biosciences, Inc
Steve Nanchen
Senior Director, External Innovation EU & APAC Pacific
Elanco
Mel Munro
Global Strategy and Development Lead
Knoell
Theo Kanellos
Group Innovation and Corporate Alliances Director
Ceva
Theo Kanellos is a veterinarian with postgraduate studies in business and life sciences to a PhD level. During his career he worked as a clinician, an academic, a governmental official and for the last fifteen years as part of the management within the Pharmaceutical Industry where he has held several strategic roles. He has managed research laboratories, business development transactions, scientific and multi-functional alliances teams and programmes in several organisations that have led to the spinoff of biotechnology companies, the award of significant scientific grants, the founding of major strategic partnerships and the registration and licensing of successful commercial products and services. In his current role as the Director of Commercial Alliances in Zoetis he establishes entrepreneurial partnerships with companies, VCs, universities, and governmental institutions, internationally. He holds a visiting professorship at the School of Health and Medicine at the University of Surrey and is a board member of the Pirbright Institute in UK, the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) in Africa and head of the action groups of the One Health Platform. He is the author of more than 30 peered reviewed papers and has given numerous presentations in several national and international conferences. His articles have also featured in many trade and public media.
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent challenges in animal and human health, demanding new approaches beyond traditional antibiotics. Changemakers developing preventative strategies and non-antibiotic alternatives explore the opportunities and hurdles that will define how these tools expand the veterinary toolkit, reduce dependence, and safeguard vital medicines.
- Market positioning – differentiating alternatives from traditional antibiotics
- Adoption drivers – proving cost-effectiveness and securing veterinary and farmer buy-in
Livestock
Companion
Nutrition
Biopharma
Diagnostics
Technology
Moderator
Carel du Marchie Sarvaas
Executive Director
HealthforAnimals
Panellists
Tom Weaver
Co-Founder & Chairman
PetMedix & ArkVax
Martha Scott Poindexter
CEO
Animal Health Institute
Rapid diagnostics are transforming everyday veterinary practice, enabling earlier detection and faster decision-making. Changemakers explore the latest advances in point-of-care tools, their role in improving outcomes, and the challenges of validation, adoption, and integration into workflows.
- Validation – generating clinical evidence to support regulatory approval and vet adoption
- Integration – embedding diagnostics into workflows for scale and commercial uptake
Livestock
Companion
Diagnostics
Technology
Moderator
Joseph Harvey
Head of Animal Health
S&P Global
Panellists
Richard Mellanby
Global Head of Medical Innovation and Strategy
IDEXX
Karine Sellam
VP Global Head of Business Development
Zoetis
Veterinary associations recommend regular parasite control and diagnostics to prevent transmission. However, parasiticides face growing scrutiny over environmental and health concerns. With resistance increasing, changemakers are developing innovative solutions, ranging from new treatments to advanced diagnostics and targeted delivery, ensuring long-term protection for animals and humans.
- Market differentiation – demonstrating value of novel products in a crowded market
- Adoption hurdles – balancing efficacy, cost, and stewardship to drive uptake
Livestock
Companion
Biopharma
Diagnostics
Moderator
Claire Fowler
SVP Head of Global Strategic Marketing Animal Health,
Boehringer Ingelheim
After completing a degree in Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge University in 2002, her first professional experience was working in clinical veterinary practice before joining Boehringer Ingelheim in 2005. She subsequently completed an MBA at London Business School.
In Boehringer Ingelheim she has held positions at a local, regional and global level across business management, marketing and technical functions, mainly in Animal Health. This includes senior leadership roles such as the responsibility for the Boehringer Ingelheim Italian animal health subsidiary, and most recently for the overall commercial performance of the region encompassing Europe and Canada. She also spent some time in Consumer Health Care as Category lead in global marketing.
Claire was appointed Head of Global Strategic Marketing in January 2025 and became a member of the Executive Committee of the Animal Health Business Unit at Boehringer.
Panellists
Pieter-Jan Serreyn
Technical Director
AnimalHealthEurope