2026 SPEAKERS

Kara Airey Cert IV RVN CCRVN HCert Bus., Fear Free (TM) CertifiedKara spent the first 15 years of her career as a specialist surgical vet nurse in Perth and in Dublin, Ireland.  Through these roles her passion for caring for patients during their post operative recovery lead her to further studies...

Renée Blackman is a leading rabbit and guinea pig educator, speaker and podcaster dedicated to transforming the way small companion animals are cared for in Australia. As the founder of The Pampered Bun, Renée has spent over four years providing specialised grooming and care services before...

I began my veterinary career in 2012 at Snowy Vets, stepping into a fast-paced clinic with no prior experience. Over time, I took on broader responsibilities across client communication, marketing, and administration, eventually transitioning into management and business ownership. Leading a...

Kym is an accomplished veterinary professional with over 14 years of experience across emergency, general practice, and specialist fields. As a practice manager and educator, she is passionate about developing cohesive, high-performing teams and driving excellence in patient care and client...

Dr. Harry Cridge is a board-certified internal medicine specialist (ACVIM & ECVIM) and Associate Professor at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. His clinical and research interests center on pancreatitis, hepatobiliary disease, and gastrointestinal disorders in dogs and ...

Deb Croucher BVSc CertVRDeb Croucher is a veterinary marketing expert who helps vet clinics grow their client base and boost profits through smart, ethical digital strategy. She’s the founder of Specialist Vet Marketing and Brilliant Digital, and has worked with general and specialist veterinary...

Lara Czarnota-Bojarski, RVN, AVN, CertVN ECC, Cert IV TAE Lara is an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse with over 14 years in the veterinary industry. She began her career in a mixed and general practice clinic, where she developed a strong foundation and comprehensive skills across all areas ...

Veterinary professionals often walk alongside clients during some of the most emotional moments of their lives - saying goodbye to a beloved companion. Drawing on her experience as a pet owner, animal trainer, certified grief educator, and author of PerPETual Love – Forever In Your Heart, Ann...

Dr. Marie Holowaychuk, DVM, Dipl. ACVECC, is a veterinarian and board-certified emergency and critical care specialist dedicated to promoting mental health and wellbeing in the veterinary profession. With over 20 years of practice experience, she founded Reviving Veterinary Medicine to address...

Wendy is a Registered Veterinary Nurse Specialist and VTS in Small Animal Internal Medicine based in New Zealand. Since 2008, Wendy has held various roles in veterinary practices across New Zealand including Lead Consulting Vet Nurse, Large Animal Technician and Head Vet Nurse. In 2015 Wendy was...

Dr Leah Manning Johnson, BVSc, MANZCVS (Small Animal Internal Medicine, Pathology), DACVP Dr Leah Johnson is a specialist veterinary anatomic pathologist based in Greater Sydney, currently working at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute. She is also pursuing a PhD in collaboration with...

Dr Kayoko Kuroda graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2006.  Since completing her degree, she has pursued her twin passions of teaching and clinical practice while working in small animal general practice around Queensland.  She obtained Membership in ...

Ben Mielke is a highly skilled and experienced Veterinarian Surgeon based in Melbourne, Australia. With a passion for animal welfare and a commitment to excellence in veterinary care, Ben has dedicated his career to providing top-notch surgical services for animals in need.As a key member of the...

Dr. Sonja Olson is a passionate veterinary wellness coach, educator, and emergency room veterinarian with over 25 years of experience. She specializes in helping individuals and teams within the veterinary field navigate stress, find balance, and cultivate emotional well-being. Combining...

Anita is a highly experienced veterinary nurse with many years in the profession. She currently serves as the Employee Engagement Officer for Veterinary Specialist Services (VSS), a multi-site referral hospital group in Australia, where she focuses on staff wellbeing, diversity, and professional...

Brandi Pooley, CVT, CPhT, CAWA is a senior level veterinary technician from Texas. She has over 18 years of experience in emergency/critical care, academia, general practice, racehorse and performance horse medicine, equine surgery, orthopedic surgery, exotics and zoo medicine, and shelter...

Aine Seavers MVB, MRCVS is an experienced Australian-Irish Companion Animal veterinarian, multi-peer reviewed author & reviewer, plus author of approx. 150 general veterinary articles in publications such as Control & Therapy CVE Sydney, The Veterinarian and The Veterinary Ireland...

Melissa is an ECC veterinary nurse based in Western Sydney with over a decade of experience. She holds multiple qualifications, including VTS (ECC), diplomas in ECC and GP nursing, and a Cert IV in training and assessing. A passionate educator, she’s published in AVNJ, lectured nationally, and...

Sarah Stoddart is the founder and sole director of Vitality Law Australia, an award winning boutique law firm which specialises in advising healthcare practitioners and business owners, including veterinarians, across Australia on commercial, property and regulatory matters.  A leader in her...

Imke has completed undergraduate training in veterinary medicine at the Hanover School of Veterinary Medicine in Germany. Her postgraduate research doctorate degree (Dr. med. vet.) and a postdoctoral fellowship at the same institution focused on molecular genetics of inherited diseases in...

Dr Jeremy Watson BVSc (hons) MANZCVS (SA surg)  Graduated from Melbourne University in 1986. He established the Brimbank Vet Clinic, a small animal practice in  suburban Melbourne, which became the first veterinary practice in Australia to become certified carbon neutral in 2021. He completed...