19 Aug 2020
Four colleagues have successfully completed their Master of Business Administration degree, with another 12 from practices across the UK also studying for qualification.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Rob Williams, head of organisational development at VetPartners.
Four colleagues are celebrating their two years of hard graft paying off after successfully completing their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees.
VetPartners’ Suzanne Johnstone, Rob Williams, Vicki Pearce and Sarah Reeves all studied on a part-time basis for the prestigious qualification from York St John University’s business school.
A further 12 people from VetPartners’ practices across the UK or its York headquarters are also studying the qualification, which is academically challenging and offers an overview of key business practices.
Most of those currently studying are from a clinical background and are seeking to add to their business knowledge to boost their leadership role in practices.
VetPartners chief executive Jo Malone said: “The more skills we develop across the veterinary industry, the better. Keeping great people in our profession should be a key aim for all, and if facilitating a broader education and experience helps that, then I am all for it.
“The MBA is a well-recognised and valued qualification, and I know how much hard work each of them has put into achieving it. Achieving a higher level qualification while working is really tough – especially at a time when we have had to cope with the mayhem of COVID-19, so all credit to them.”
Mr Williams, who swapped life as a vet to become head of organisational development for the company, said: “VetPartners is unusual in that a lot of senior managers across the business are vets, which is a good thing for a veterinary business.
“Their knowledge and experience is extremely valuable to us, and we are now supporting them to enhance their skills by providing a deeper understanding of business and business leadership.
“Not everyone with a clinical background wants to stay in a clinical role, and we don’t want them to feel trapped or lose them as we can use their experience and knowledge elsewhere in the business. It is also about succession planning, to identify team members who can help us develop the business.”
