Paws and profits: Recent business and clinical appointments (May 5, 2024)

Veterinary business and clinical leaders are integral in driving the success of an organization or hospital. They not only advocate for excellence and innovation but also prioritize maintaining high standards of care for animals. Together, these leaders propel advancement, advocate for best practices, and safeguard the integrity of the veterinary profession.

Various veterinary businesses, organizations, and hospitals recently announced new promotions and appointments. The following individuals are among those making career advancements:

David Sturrus, chief client officer of Banfield Pet Hospital

In a newly created role for Banfield Pet Hospital, based in Vancouver, Washington, David Sturrus has been named the chief client officer of the veterinary hospital network. According to a news release, Sturrus brings 20 years of experience in customer and growth strategy to Banfield.¹ In this role, Sturrus will work directly with the organization’s senior leadership team.

"As a passionate pet owner myself, I look forward to having the opportunity to strengthen the client and associate experience so that we can support pets in new, innovative ways and at all stages of life," Sturrus said in the release.¹ "This includes enhancing offerings like our signature Optimum Wellness Plan and evolving how and where care is delivered to better meet the needs of pets and the people who love them."

"As we look to expand our impact to deliver quality care to more pets and more clients, I'm thrilled to welcome David to this newly created role to help transform the partnerships we build with pet owners and our caring hospital teams," Mony Iyer, president of Banfield Pet Hospital, said in the release.¹

Peter Selover, president and chief operating officer of Sage Veterinary Imaging

The previous CEO of Exubrion Therapeutics, Peter Selover, transitions into a new role at Sage Veterinary Imaging (SVI) in Round Rock, Texas, as its president and chief operating officer. According to the company release, Selover will assume responsibility for SVI operations including management, human resources, finance, and veterinary outreach.² SVI founder, Jaime Sage, DVM, MS, DACVR, will maintain her role and in providing high quality veterinary imaging.

“We are all very excited to welcome Pete to the team. By assuming the business management of the imaging centers, I’m able to focus exclusively on maintaining the highest standards of care in providing human-quality imaging to our patients, and training the next generation of veterinary radiologists,” said Sage in the release.²

“My passion is to build successful businesses and work with talented, motivated people in achieving success. Dr Sage and her team are meeting the growing need for higher quality veterinary imaging. My addition to the team will enable her to be laser-focused on excellent patient care. She has a vision for the practice to always push to a higher level of veterinary radiology. I’m excited to be part of the team,” Selover said.²

Philip Fox, DVM, MSc, DACVIM/ECVIM (Cardiology), DACVECC, chair of the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s Caspary Research Institute

Philip Fox, DVM, MSc, DACVIM/ECVIM (Cardiology), DACVECC

Philip Fox, DVM, MSc, DACVIM/ECVIM (Cardiology), DACVECC, is a senior veterinarian, service head of cardiology, and Vincent Astor chair in comparative medicine for the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York, New York, but was additionally promoted to the chair of the hospital’s Caspary Research Institute. In this role, he will lead teams of AMC veterinarians and clinical investigations to study naturally occurring diseases in pets.³

“Through his accomplishments as a veterinarian, educator, and researcher, Dr Philip Fox has made important contributions to help advance veterinary medicine. This is one of the fundamental components of AMC’s founding mission,” said Helen M. Irving, RN, MBA, president and CEO of AMC, in a news release.³

Fox has over 40 years of experience working in cardiology and research. After undertaking an internship and residency in cardiology at AMC, he transitioned to the hospital staff as a cardiologist. “In my new role at the Caspary Research Institute, I look forward to continuing to work closely with the veterinary teams at AMC to expand the hospital’s impact in the veterinary field through the contribution of clinical research,” said Fox.³

Michael Black, chief revenue officer and general manager of consumables for BARK Inc; Michael Parness, chief marketing officer and general manager of Play for BARK Inc

BARK Inc, has announced the appointments of Michael Black as chief revenue officer and general manager of consumables, and Michael Parness as chief marketing officer and general manager of Play.

Prior to his appointment at New York, New York-based BARK, Black has held several roles in the chief executive level at companies including Paragon International Advisors, Outward Hound, Pet Accessories at Walmart, and PetLab Co, all within the pet industry.⁴

Parness has 3 decades of experience in various consumer-packaged goods industries including high-level work with pet companies. He served most recently as the chief marketing officer of JustFoodForDogs.⁴

“We are thrilled to elevate our leadership team with the addition of two proven leaders who bring a wealth of experience across the pet, e-commerce, and retail sectors,” said Matt Meeker, cofounder and CEO of BARK in a company release.⁴ “Michael Black will orchestrate our consumables strategy in both our direct-to-consumer and retail channels. Michael Parness will oversee our growth in the play category and ensure our brand reaches as many dog households as possible. Together, we believe these additions will be instrumental in raising awareness of our mission and driving multi-channel, cross-category growth.”

References

1. Banfield appoints first chief client officer. News release. Banfield Pet Hospital. April 10, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/banfield-appoints-first-chief-client-officer-302113133.html
2. Sage Veterinary Imaging welcomes new president. News release. Sage Veterinary Imaging. April 29, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e4dec9334a0ef12a0ea039b/t/6629823bc6fb12549a1f0dc8/1713996347173/Sage+President+release+FINAL.pdf
3. Schwarzman Animal Medical Center promotes longtime head of cardiology Dr Philip Fox to chair of the Caspary Research Institute. News release. Schwarzman Animal Medical Center. May 1, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://www.amcny.org/press/schwarzman-animal-medical-center-promotes-longtime-head-of-cardiology-dr-philip-fox-to-chair-of-the-caspary-research-institute/
4. BARK Strengthens Leadership Team With Appointment of Two Pet Industry Leaders. News release. BARK Inc. April 3, 2024. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240403587811/en/BARK-Strengthens-Leadership-Team-With-Appointment-of-Two-Pet-Industry-Leaders