SPVS can trace its origins back to 1933, when the Veterinary Practitioners’ League was formed, later becoming the first specialist division of what was then the National Veterinary Medical Association (now the BVA). It championed the interests of practitioners, helping to secure their involvement in the emerging State Veterinary Service as Local Veterinary Inspectors (LVIs). In spite of its name, it attracted membership from across the profession including research workers, officers of local and other authorities, and several professors.
Over the next 20 years it began to focus on the effective running of veterinary enterprises, with a 1957 report concluding that it should be on sound business and ethical lines.
SPVS, as it was then, sought to lead by example and that remains the focus today.
President, Catriona Curtis BVM&S MRCVS.
Graduated 2004 from Edinburgh, 7 years in mixed and small animal practice. Moved to pharmaceutical industry in 2011 and work for Bayer Animal Health as veterinary adviser. MSO and CPD officer and organiser of the Lancaster student seminar since 2012 – 2017. Trustee of the SPVS Educational Trust.
Senior Vice President, Peter Brown BVetMed MRCVS
I qualified from The Royal Veterinary College in 1982, and after 3 years in mixed practice, joined a small animal practice which I bought and developed from 1988 to 2014, when I sold it to Independent Vet Care. I joined SPVS Council in 2011 and became Hon Treasurer in 2014. I managed the Society’s surveys 2014 – 17.
JVP & CPD Officer, Anna Judson BVSc MSc MRCVS
Graduated Liverpool 1987. MSc in Nature Conservation 1989 UCL. Partner in mixed practice 1990-2013.
Partner in SA only practice 2013 to date. SPVS PRO officer, SPVS rep PSG
Honorary Secretary, Kathleen Robertson BVM&S CertVA MRCVS
My interests are the future of the veterinary profession (all issues – feminisation, loss of GP status, ‘corporatisation’, recruitment and retention, poor undergraduate selection etc etc), business opportunities, soft skills and communication, veterinary politics.
I am also BVA Scotland JVP.
Honorary Treasurer, Sue Jennings BVSc MRCVS
Graduated from Bristol in 1986 and after a couple of years in mixed and SA practice joined Towcester Veterinary Centre in 1988 becoming a partner in 1994. Having done mostly SA clinical work for the last 25 years I now manage our 22 vet mixed practice comprising a SA hospital and farm practice, a SA practice and 2 equine practices. I joined Council in 2013 and organised SPVS Scubascene in 2014.
Sinead Armstrong MA VetMB MRCVS
Qualified from Cambridge in 1996. I worked in several small animal practices round the M25 before starting up my own small animal practice in Surrey in 2007. I have learnt/ worked out how to run a practice along the way with the support of SPVS and am keen to offer that support to others finding their way. My practice is now a 2 vet, nurse training centre and we opened a hydrotherapy/ rehab unit in 2015. I also do a little work with Chessington zoo, which keeps a random assortment of more exotic visitors coming into the surgery and keeps us all on our toes.
Ryan Davis PgC SAS BVMS MRCVS
After graduating from Glasgow in 2002 I went into mixed practice for 2 years before focusing on small animal work. Through a process of merger and acquisition I now ran the main hospital in a 14 site mixed practice with 8 directors until it’s sale to CVS in 2017. I was awarded a PgC in small animal surgery in 2015 and have been on SPVS Council since 2014. My current role is Hub clinical leader for CVS in the West of the country helping develop practices, in particular consulting and surgical skills.
Cathal Carr BVM&S MRCVS
I qualified from Edinburgh in 1996, having already gained a B.A (hons)physiology , from Trinity College Dublin. I have spent all my working career in Northern Ireland, my first eight years in practice were predominantly mixed , farm. T.B testing ,1st opinion equine and small animal. In 2003 my wife and I bought a one vet small practice and now employ 3.5 FVE and we are a veterinary nurse training practice, treating mainly small animals with a small amount of 1st opinion Equine, T.B. testing and farm work . I joined SPVS council in 2013 and have been interested in the Fee and salary surveys and am looking forward to our work with Veterinary Insights and the new bench marking tool(s).
Ben Sweeney BVSc MSc CertAVP MRCVS
Graduated Liverpool 2008.
Liz Barton MA VetMB MRCVS
I graduated in 2004 and have enjoyed a varied career including mixed practice, SA internship, ECC work and shelter medicine. I setup the free online resource hub, Vetsnet, in 2017 to increase accessibility of support initiatives to all members of the profession and including Vet Mums and Vet Sports communities. In 2018 I co-founded WellVet, organising sports and wellbeing events for the profession. My main interests are wellbeing and parenting in the profession and I will be involved in the SPVS-Mindmatters Wellbeing Awards.
Nick Lloyd BVSc MRCVS
After qualifying at Bristol University, I joined a mixed practice in Devon in 2002, becoming a partner 2004. Now I am mainly involved in the admin of the practice. Clinically my interests are dermatology and client communication. During my limited time away from work and SPVS, my interests are sailing, dancing and hockey, and spending time with my growing family. Within SPVS my main role as been as chair of the Vet XML Consortium, working to improve the transfer of data between practice and industry.
Andrew Parker BVetMed DBR MRCVS
MEMBER ONLY – take a look at the previous minutes from our past Annual General Meetings.
