New Vets Now CEO, Patricia Colville, MBA MRCVS
Vets Now Announces New CEO
1 year ago 
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Veterinary surgeon to take up the helm of leading emergency service
Vets Now today announces that qualified veterinary surgeon Patricia Colville, currently COO, has been promoted to the role of CEO of the leading provider of small animal emergency care in the UK.
Patricia, MBA MRCVS, will take up the position on 01 November 2022, replacing Mark Ross who is stepping down to take a career break as he attends to a family health matter.
Patricia has been serving as COO since June 2021 and has been instrumental in helping Vets Now continue to thrive; assisting with the CEO responsibilities as she worked closely alongside Mark. She originally joined Vets Now in 2009 working in areas of hospital management and then business development.
A qualified veterinary surgeon, holding an MRCVS from the University of Glasgow, Patricia also has an MBA from the University of Strathclyde.
Patricia said today: “Vets Now is made up of fantastic people and it’s the honour of my career to be leading such a talented team.
“Our out-of-hours business model was set up twenty years ago by a vet to support the working practices of vets and vet nurses, helping to improve their work-life balance by providing outstanding animal care at times of greatest need to customers. As leaders in emergency care for small animals, we’ll continue to work steadfastly in supporting the profession.
“Mark has done a tremendous job driving the business forward and I’m excited to be able to continue to build on our success. “
Mark joined Vets Now as CEO in April of 2015. During his tenure he guided the company through a period of growth and expansion, with Vets Now today supporting the veterinary profession, pets and their owners from over 60 clinics and hospitals nationwide.
He also oversaw the integration of Vets Now with IVC Evidensia, which acquired the emergency care provider in January 2019.
“The growth of our business during the past few years has been a testament to our incredible team of over 1700 staff throughout the country”, said Mark. “I will always be proud of what we have achieved together.”
Mark added, “Tricia has been an invaluable resource in the COO role and in her capable hands, Vets Now will continue to provide exceptional care as a leader in the field.”
Vets Now is working hard to drive diversity and inclusion within the profession, and with 88% of Vets Now staff being female, Patricia will lead a ten-strong board of directors, nine of whom are women.
Patricia Colville biography
Patricia qualified from Glasgow University Veterinary School in 1993. She started at a small animal private practice for three years before joining PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity, where she worked for 14 years as a veterinary surgeon and senior vet. Patricia then moved to Vets Now, the largest out of hours provider in the UK, in 2009 where she worked initially as hospital manager of the first Vets Now 24/7 Emergency and Specialty Hospital, in Glasgow. She completed a Masters at the University of Strathclyde in Business Administration in 2014 and was President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association between April 2015-2016. Patricia then moved into Business Development with Vets Now, before taking on the COO role.
Previously a Trustee of Vetlife, a charity that provides emotional, financial and mental health support to the veterinary community in the UK, Patricia more recently took up a position as UK Director for the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA).
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