ISFM - Key Persons
Aarti Hogan has been a trustee of International Cat Care since May 2020.
Aarti qualified from the University of Liverpool in 1999 and spent a few years travelling and working in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. For the last 10 years, she has worked in a busy, single-site clinic in Surrey which underwent a complete refurbishment which went on to win the 2015 Practice Refurbishment Design Award. Part of this involved incorporating a separate cat waiting room, a cat consulting room and 2 cat wards which gained the clinic status as a Gold Standard iCatCare clinic.
Aarti completed the CVE/ISFM Feline Medicine Distance Education Course in 2012, completed her membership examinations in 2013, and is now involved in mentoring for the examinations. Whenever possible, she attends the ISFM European congresses and is committed to ongoing in-house training to keep her practice as cat friendly as possible, with particular emphasis on the care of elderly patients.
Aarti gained the RCVS recognition as an Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Feline Medicine in 2015 and within the practice is responsible for continued dedication to and development of services and facilities for feline patients (as well as seeing canine patients too!).
She currently shares her home with 2 rescue cats Frank and Monkey, her husband and baby daughter.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Deputy Editor, Veterinary Publications
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Head of Membership, Community and Knowledge
Adam is Head of Business Improvement.
Adam's time is spent developing ISFM's membership and supporting the development of an international community and knowledge network. Adam also manages our IT requirements and oversees our data protection compliance.
Adam has worked in a mix of roles and industries from agriculture to pharmaceuticals and also spent time working with small businesses on process development and business intelligence as they grew. He joined International Cat Care in 2017 to implement a new membership database. In his spare time he runs a photography business capturing family memories.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Senior Digital Learning Developer
Alex is our Senior Digital Learning Developer
Alex's responsibilities include leading on the learning design and development of new online courses, including tutor-led, self-paced and micro-learning. He also oversees the day-to-day maintenance of our learning platform.
Alex has almost a decade of experience working within the digital learning sphere, working in a wide variety of roles from learning design to project management. Alex has a very energetic, attention-seeking cat called Maxwell, who loves to chase anything that moves.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Cat Advocacy Project Manager
Alex is our Cat Advocacy Project Manager
Alex has been a qualified veterinary nurse for 25 years. She is mostly interested in feline nursing and behaviour, and has completed the ISFM nursing certificate, diploma, and advanced certificate in feline behaviour. Alex is currently a member of the feline wellbeing panel and is studying towards gaining her ABT (animal behaviour technician) qualification. Alex still occasionally works as a locum RVN in practice and is currently the President of the BVNA (British Veterinary Nursing Association). Alex also teaches feline nursing and preventative/first aid behaviour to other veterinary professionals and has two very energetic and playful Siamese cats called Monkey and Spud.
Alex Campbell has been a trustee of International Cat Care since February 2018.
Job Titles:
- Trustee Director
- Senior Leader
Alison Travaglia is an experienced senior leader across corporate and not-for-profits sectors with the majority of her career spent in animal health and welfare.
She has held leadership positions in Australia and New Zealand, including multi-site managing veterinary clinics, liaising with Government on behalf of animal charities, and heading community engagement programmes for numerous animal shelters. Strategic and solutions focused, Alison enjoys working collaboratively with teams to drive business performance. She has held board level positions with animal charities and within the veterinary sector.
Alison's hands-on experience with animal shelters has led her to be a strong advocate for reform with a focus on education and progressive sheltering practices in order to actively lower euthanasia rates for cats. Her relationship with iCatCare spans 10 years. From being involved with the lead up to Australia's first gold accredited Cat Friendly Clinic, to introducing cat friendly handling and housing principle's to shelters/clinics. Alison also worked directly with iCatCare assessing online education courses.
Alison has a lifelong love of looking out for the welfare needs of cats and holds qualifications in adult education, veterinary nursing, feline behaviour and is a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional. She lives in New Zealand and has a rescue cat called ‘Mango- Pants'.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Learning Administrator
Andrea is our Learning Administrator
She works in the learning team to provide administrative support for the delivery of our online courses.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Membership Coordinator
Becky is a Membership Coordinator in our Membership, Community and Knowledge Team.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Member of the Filter Team
- Office Manager
Becky is our Office Manager and Executive Assistant to Claire, our CEO and Tony, our Ops Director.
Becky schedules meetings, coordinates diaries, organises and books venues and makes travel arrangements. She manages the day to day office activities including the procurement of office stationery and kitchen supplies, maintains contracts with services and suppliers and is the secretariat for the Cat Group.
Becky joined International Cat Care in March 2015 when she moved to Dorset from her home town of Newcastle, where she was a buyer for an oil and gas company. She studied her Masters in Supply Chain Management at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen and completed her qualifications with the Association of Accounting Technicians. She has worked for the NHS, various oil and gas companies and was a professional dance teacher in her spare time. She has also spent time doing charity work in Africa and hopes to return one day.
Becky loves family days out with her hubby and 2-year-old daughter Florence and enjoys flying up to Newcastle once a month to see her family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Cat Advocacy Project Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Head of Learning
Ceri is our Head of the Learning.
Ceri heads up the Learning Team and is responsible for overseeing the development of the organisation's portfolio of learning programmes. This involves continuing the improvement of the current course offerings and developing new and innovative ways to deliver online learning on behalf of the iCatCare community.
Ceri has around 10 years experience working in a range of education settings as a learning technologist and learning systems manager. Ceri is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a Member of the Association of Learning Technology.
Ceri is owned by her two cats, Leo and Minnie, brother and sister who get on - most of the time.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Member of the Filter Team
Claire is International Cat Care's Chief Executive.
As the charity's Chief Executive, Claire works with the staff, senior management team and the trustees in the development of the charity and to take forward International Cat Care's vision to enable people to better understand cats to improve their welfare.
Claire joined iCatCare 25 years ago. Following a degree in Animal Physiology and Nutrition, time spent at an advertising agency and working for The Veterinary Record, she took on the role of editor of the charity's journal, before becoming Chief Executive.
Claire has written 10 books on cat care and lives with three moggies, one ginger called Chilli, one white called Oreo (or more often Mr White) and tabby Mello who live the ultimate cat life in the countryside doing cat stuff!
Job Titles:
- Trustee Director
- Veterinarian
Dr Natasha Lee is a veterinarian from Malaysia with an MSc in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law from the University of Edinburgh. She has over 16 years of experience in international animal welfare particularly in companion animal welfare projects, animal sheltering, and veterinary education.
She has managed large companion animal projects across Asia for World Animal Protection, which includes advocacy, strategy development, and technical training. She has also led a campaign to include animal welfare science into veterinary curricula across Asia by providing training to more than 125 vet schools, starting a network of animal welfare educators, and conducting online courses for vets. She is a co-author for WSAVA's Animal Welfare Guidelines for veterinary practices and a contributing author in the Field Manual for Small Animal Medicine.
Dr Lee currently runs an animal welfare consultancy, Animal Happiness, and works with other organisation to carry out trainings and education. She is also the Chair for the Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee under the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the Asia Regional Coordinator for World Horse Welfare, on the International Advisory Board for the Alliance for Contraceptive in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D), an inspector for Humane Farm Animal Care, and sits on the board for SPCA Selangor in Malaysia.
Job Titles:
- Finance Director
- Member of the Filter Team
Emma heads up our Finance Team, along with overseeing the finance function, she is assisting the charity to achieve its overall strategic objectives.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Veterinary Surgeon, TV Presenter and Author
‘For many years I have admired and respected the work of iCatCare and have always been impressed by the charity's steadfast dedication to improving the welfare of all cats. It is a massive honour to be asked to join them as an ambassador and I only hope I can live up to their excellent credentials!'
Emma qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Bristol Veterinary School, UK, in 1996 and went on to work in a mixed, country practice in Somerset, Cheltenham and York in the UK.
She is best known for her appearances in the highly successful BBC One programme, Vets in Practice, and appeared in all 11 series. She has since appeared in numerous TV and radio programmes and has co-presented programmes on wildlife and been a regular guest reporter for the BBC's Inside Out programme.
Emma's first book, The Truth About Cats and Dogs was published in July 2007 and highlighted health problems in pedigree dogs and cats associated with body size and shape as well as other inherited conditions. In March 2012 her second book, Tales from the Tail End, a light-hearted collection of memoirs from her time on TV and as a vet, was published. Her most recent writing is a series of children's pet care books, The Pet Detective Series, including Is a cat the right pet for you? based on animals' five welfare needs and the importance of mental as well as physical wellbeing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Veterinary Publications Assistant Editor
Hugh Edgar has been a trustee of International Cat Care since November 2019.
Hugh is a retired veterinary surgeon. He qualified from Glasgow University Veterinary School in 1978 and his 40-year career encompassed general practice, pharmaceutical research and the charitable sector. The last 20 years of his career were spent in senior management positions. He was Director of Clinical and Laboratory Services at the Animal Health Trust for 9 years and oversaw the expansion of the Trust's small animal clinical referral services, including introduction of a specialised feline unit. He finished his career in a global management role within the pharmaceutical industry.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Marketing Communications Assistant
Hugh works in the Marketing Department as a Marketing Communications Assistant.
Job Titles:
- Trustee Director
- Economist
Iwona Mertin is an economist with an interest in innovative financing.
She has always been passionate about animal welfare, volunteering and working with animal shelters and charities. With her love for cats and facts, she was attracted to the position of a Trustee at International Cat Care. Iwona is currently working as an Outreach Manager for Financial Institutions and Companion Animals Programme Leader at Eurogroup for Animals, the animal advocacy organisation at the EU level. In the past Iwona worked at EUROCHAMBRES as a Head of Finance and Economy focusing on finance and taxation. Prior to joining EUROCHAMBRES, Iwona cooperated with the Bureau of European Policy Advisors of the European Commission and with the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik. She holds an MSc with distinction in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the Queen's University of Belfast, an MA in EU Business and Economics from the College of Europe, an MSc in Political Studies from the Aalborg University and a master's degree in Economics and EU Affairs from the University of Economics in Poznan. Polish, based in Brussels, Belgium, she enjoys family time, cycling and horses.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Filter Team
- Cat Friendly Clinic Administrator
Jane is our ISFM Administrator.
Jane looks after all our Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation and reaccreditation applications as well as making sure that our Cat Friendly Clinics have everything they need to promote themselves.
Job Titles:
- Trustee Director
- COO of the Greater Good Fresh Brewing Co
Jennifer Chong is currently COO of The Greater Good Fresh Brewing Co.
Karen Hiestand has been a trustee of International Cat Care since February 2019.
Karen trained as a vet at Massey University in New Zealand, coming to the UK in 2004 after a couple of years in mixed practice in her native country. Since then she travelled extensively, working as a first opinion vet all over the UK and as a volunteer vet in many other countries, in particular being involved in numerous neutering campaigns.
Karen has always had a strong interest in animal welfare and a special interest in cats, which she built on with six years in an advisory position at Cats Protection. She has since held a teaching position at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Surrey University where she led on feline welfare, veterinary ethics and shelter medicine teaching and continues to provide welfare and ethics teaching to veterinary schools and animal welfare organisations.
In recent years Karen caught the studying bug and now has Masters degrees in applied animal behaviour and welfare, medical ethics and law, a BSc in psychology and is embarking on a PhD at Sussex University investigating empathy between animals and humans.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Member of the Filter Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the House of Lords
Lord Guy Black is a Life Peer member of the House of Lords, UK, and Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group. Mark is a public relations executive who has worked for the Advertising Standards Authority and the Press Complaints Commission before serving as Deputy Private Secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales. Both are committed cat fans and are pictured here with their Russian Blue, Victoria
International Cat Care is very proud to welcome Lord Black and Mark Bolland to our team as iCatCare Patrons. Here we learn a little more about them…
Liz had always been interested in biology and chemistry at school, and she went on to study Biochemistry at University. After graduating, she started a career as a TV presenter working on shows that included Top of the Pops, before returning to her first love, science, and completing a Masters in Wild Animal Biology and Conservation. Liz's main interests during her studies were animal behaviour and intelligence and big cat conservation. She set up and carried out a research project on the diet of tigers in Bardia National Park, Nepal, which saw her come first in her class.
Liz's TV career has drawn heavily on her academic expertise. In the latest series of Horizon, Liz presents new scientific research raising hard questions about the future of zoos, in Horizon: Should We Close Our Zoos. She has also been busy filming a brand new wildlife series about animal migrations called Nature's Epic Journeys, which broadcast in May 2016. Liz also presented the hugely successful Big Blue Live series in Monterey, California. Other TV credits include wildlife and animal behaviour programmes Super Smart Animals, Animals in Love, Animals through the Night: Sleepover at the Zoo, Operation Snow Tiger and Animal Odd Couples; science series Horizon, Stargazing Live and Bang Goes the Theory; documentaries Egypt's Lost Cities, Museum of Life and Science Friction; and the popular Countrywise.
In addition to her TV work, Liz is a seasoned and engaging conference facilitator and awards host and has MC'd various events, including most recently, the UK's National Science and Engineering Competition Awards and the Natural History Museum's prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards.
International Cat Care is delighted to have Liz on board as an ambassador for the charity.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Lynne Hill was appointed International Cat Care's Chair of the Board of Trustees in September 2019.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Financial Accountant
Mark works in the Finance Department as Assistant Financial Accountant.
Mark is responsible for processing purchase invoices, sales invoices, dealing with supplier payments and customer receipts, bank account posting and reconciliation and anything else that Emma, the Finance Director, can conjure up.
Job Titles:
- Conference & Events Manager
Nikki is our Conference and Events Manager.
Nikki creates your conference experience and manages all our event logistics. From budgets, registration and marketing to finding the glorious locations, adding in time for yoga and a cocktail to watch the sunset, she's behind the scenes bringing it all together. She oversees and manages all of International Cat Care's portfolio of events which now include the ISFM UK Feline Congress, our much loved ISFM European Feline Congress, our Summer Awards Party and the ISFM/CVE Asia Pacific Feline Congress, not to mention all the other smaller events which happen throughout the year.
Patricia is International Cat Care's HR Director.
Patricia (also known as Trish) is a member of International Cat Care's Executive Team and provides leadership on HR, Training, Talent Management, Welfare and Benefits, and Health & Safety. She is working on resourcing, development and maximising our people's skills and abilities to enable the charity to achieve its overall strategic objectives.
Job Titles:
- Feline Medicine Specialist and ISFM Academy Lead
Sam is our Feline Medicine Specialist and ISFM Academy Lead.
Sam advises the charity on all aspects of feline medicine and is also responsible for developing and coordinating the ISFM Academy of Feline Practitioners.
Sam graduated from the Royal Vet College in 2002 and completed internships in private referral practice before starting a Feline Advisory Bureau Residency at Bristol University. She was awarded the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Medicine in 2006 and the European Diploma in Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2009. In 2011 she became an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Feline Medicine and in 2019 was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
In addition to her work with International Cat Care, Sam also works in clinical referral practice at Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists in Hampshire, is editor of the BSAVA journal Companion and is a tutor on the University of Sydney Feline Medicine course as well as an examiner for the Membership of the Australia and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Feline Medicine). Sam is also an editorial board member for the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery and has authored two books and numerous book chapters as well as publishing a number of papers on both canine and feline internal medicine.
Sarah is our ISFM Programme Manager.
Sarah is part of the ISFM Team looking after our Cat Friendly Clinic, Cat Care for Life and webinar programmes. Sarah also works with our Learning Team creating and updating content for our online veterinary nurse courses, as well as providing advice across the charity on veterinary nursing matters.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Trustee Director
- Registered Veterinary Nurse
Sue Badger has been a trustee of International Cat Care since September 2014.
Sue is a Registered Veterinary Nurse (formerly RANA) and has a Masters degree in Education. Following 18 years in clinical practice, ranging from small animal to mixed and exotic practice, Sue became a nursing tutor at the then, Berkshire College of Agriculture. In 1990 she joined the University of Bristol and developed veterinary nurse training, both at F.E. and H.E. level at the School of Veterinary Science.
Other roles have included President of the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), External Examiner for a number of institutions and Editor in Chief of the BVNA's Veterinary Nursing Journal. She is the second recipient of the RCVS Golden Jubilee Award and was made an honorary member of the BVNA in 2012.
Having taken early retirement from the university several years ago, Sue now works part-time for the West of England Rural Network, a charity based just outside Bath. She is a trustee of three charities (including International Cat Care) and helps to support the editorial side of International Cat Care's veterinary nursing journal Feline Focus.
Job Titles:
- Operations Director
- Member of International Cat Care 's Executive Team
Tony is our Operations Director.
Tony is a member of International Cat Care's Executive Team and provides leadership on all operational activities, ensuring execution of our strategy through efficient use of our resources, organisational development and effective co-ordination across all of our teams. He also deputises for our CEO, Claire Bessant, with whom he co-leads on relationship management with key stakeholders including governments, national partners, sponsors and other charities.
Tony began his career in financial services in London in 1993 before moving into the sustainability sector, where he has spent over 25 years in senior leadership roles at a variety of businesses, governments and charities including Sodexo, Defra, Met Office, Fairtrade Foundation and WWF. He joined International Cat Care in June 2019 from WWF in Geneva, where he was CEO of OPEN, their international graduate education division. He has been a visiting lecturer at Universities of Cambridge and Exeter and is currently Honorary Associate Professor of Sustainability Leadership at the University of Nottingham. Tony holds an MBA from the University of Exeter Business School and a Bachelors degree in Land Management from the University of Reading. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts. He is also a partner in his family farm.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager - Cat Friendly Homing