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June 24 - 26, 2025
Charlottetown | Prince Edward Island | Canada

2023 Conference Program

MONDAY, JUNE 26 | Discovery Day

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Registration and One-to-One Business Partnering Help Desk 

Location: Conference Foyer

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Exhibitor Hall

9:00 - 10:30 AM | Experiencing Innovation - Interactive Industry Demonstrations: Demonstrations of interactive technologies by select animal health companies.

Location: Malpeque Room

Presenters:

 

10:00 - 10:30 AM | Coffee and Networking Break 

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Future Focus Session 1: Pitch session featuring high-potential start-ups and early-stage companies with disruptive technologies aimed at unmet industry needs.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Lalit Gaur, Global Head of Business Development and Licensing, Vetoquinol - United States

Companies:

12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch & Presentation

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Speaker: Volker Gerdts, Director and CEO, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) - Canada

1:00 - 2:30 PM | Future Focus Session 2: Pitch session featuring high-potential start-ups and early-stage companies with disruptive technologies aimed at unmet industry needs.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Emily Aston, Independent Consultant - United States

Companies:

2:30 - 5:30 PM | One-to-One Business Partnering
Sponsored by: Meiji Animal Health

Location: Bedeque Room

6:00 - 8:00 PM | Opening Reception
Sponsored by: CEVA Santé Animale

Location: Brakish - 2 Lower Water St., Charlottetown, PE

TUESDAY, JUNE 27 | Conference Day 1

7:30 AM – 5:00 PM | Registration and One-to-One Business Partnering Help Desk 

Location: Conference Foyer

8:00 – 9:00 AM | Welcome Breakfast

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Welcome Remarks:

  • Sean Casey, MP for Charlottetown
  • The Honourable Gilles Arsenault, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Trade, Government of PEI

Keynote Speaker: Honourary Chair, Sébastien Huron, CEO, Virbac - France

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Exhibitor Hall 

9:00 – 10:30 AM | Session I - Panel

Africa: One Health Imperatives for Economic Prosperity and for Global Pandemic Prevention
Africa. 20% of the world’s land area. 16% of the world’s population - the youngest population in the world. 62 countries and territories, very large cultural diversity. An enigma to most on the rest of the globe. Historically having a low concentration of wealth and poor economic conditions, recent decades have seen many countries achieve very large improvements in economic status, commercial sophistication, and quality of life for their citizens. Local, national, and multinational businesses are taking note of the opportunities, and animal health and nutrition is an important part of the move to food security and economic self-sufficiency. We have assembled an outstanding panel of experts who can provide insight and foresight.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Alex Rinkus, Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, HealthforAnimals - Belgium

Panelists:

  • Olutoyin Catherine Adetuberu, President, Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association - Nigeria
  • Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General, International Livestock Research Institute - Kenya
  • Carolin Schumacher, CEO, GALVmed - United Kingdom
  • Samuel Thevasagayam, Deputy Director, Global Development, Gates Foundation - United States

10:30 – 11:00 AM | Networking Break

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Session II - Innovation Spotlight: Pitch session featuring emerging companies with breakthrough technologies at the late pre-commercial, or early commercial phase, who are seeking investment or strategic partnerships.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Tom Campi, Partner, Covenant Animal Health - United States

Companies:

12:30 – 1:30 PM | Lunch & Presentation

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Keynote Speaker: Kazuhiko Hirose, President, Meiji Animal Health - Japan

1:30 – 3:30 PM | One-to-One Business Partnering
Sponsored by: Meiji Animal Health

Location: Bedeque Room

3:30 – 5:00 PM | Session III - Panel

Investor Perspectives: The Future of the Animal Health Industry
Given the growing importance of the animal health industry investors and other funding agencies are playing important new roles in supporting the creation of innovation and new companies. This panel will feature the perspectives of investors, including new investors that have recently entered the animal health space, and a critical assessment of the opportunities and challenges.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Julia Stephanus, Partner, Borealis Ventures - United States

Panelists: 

  • Emily Aston, Independent Consultant - United States
  • Reinier Henneman, Global Sector Head, RaboBank - Netherlands
  • Charles Hoare, Head of European Healthcare (Investment Banking), Stifel - United States
  • Rich Shuler, Operating Director, Paine Schwartz Partners - United States

6:30 – 9:30 PM | Signature Event: Cocktail Reception and Gala Dinner
Sponsored by: Covenant Animal Health

Location: Riverview Room

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 | Conference Day 2

7:30 AM – 5:00 PM | Registration and One-to-One Business Partnering Help Desk 

Location: Conference Foyer

7:30 – 8:30 AM | One-to-One Business Partnering
Sponsored by: Meiji Animal Health

Location: Bedeque Room

8:00 – 8:30 AM | Breakfast

Location: Conference Foyer

8:00 AM – 3:30 PM | Exhibitor Hall 

Location: Conference Foyer

8:30 – 10:00 AM | Session IV - Panel

Global Regulatory Opportunities, Challenges, Next Steps and Transformation
Modernization of the regulatory approaches by regulatory agencies globally is critically important for the vitality of the animal health industry and the innovation pathway.  This facilitated panel session will feature senior regulatory agents from regulatory agencies around the world that are collaborating towards new and strategic approaches to the regulation of animal health products among the jurisdictions.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Paul Dick, Founder and President, Paul Dick & Associates - Canada

Panelists:

  • Marilena Bassi, Director General, Veterinary Drugs Directorate, Health Canada - Canada
  • Ivo Claassen, Head of Veterinary Medicines Division, European Medicines Agency - Netherlands
  • Gavin Hall, Deputy CEO, UK Veterinary Medicines Directorate - United Kingdom
  • Matthew Lucia, Director, Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation, US FDA - United States
  • Maria Trainer, Executive Director Registration Management, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority - Australia

10:00 – 10:30 AM | Networking Break

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Session V - Innovation Spotlight: Pitch session featuring emerging companies with breakthrough technologies at the late pre-commercial, or early commercial phase, who are seeking investment or strategic partnerships.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Michael Hemprich, Director, Business Development & Strategy, Ceva Sante Animale - France

Companies

12:00 – 1:15 PM | Lunch & Presentation

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Keynote Speaker: Ken Rotondo, Founder and President, Rehavior Inc. - United States

1:15 – 2:45 PM | Session VI - Panel

The Digital Horizon
The digital world around us is accelerating change and opportunity within the animal health and nutrition space. Digital tech, predictive monitoring, diagnostics, digital market channels – animal health and nutrition companies, big and small, are moving quickly to develop their digital strategies. Are ‘big data’, AI’, and digital health overworked buzz words, or strategic imperatives of the animal health business of the future? This session will welcome an outstanding panel of thought leaders on where the true strategic advantages lie, with perspectives from inside and outside the animal health and nutrition industry.

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Moderator: Austin Howes, Director, Global Business Development, Merck - United States

Panelists:

  • Bethany Deshpande, CEO, SomaDetect - Canada
  • Neal Fishman, CTO Data-Based Pathology, IBM - United States
  • Dan Jamieson, CEO and Founder, Biorelate - United Kingdom
  • Tye Perrett, General Manager, Services and Pharmaceutical Supply, TELUS Agriculture - Canada

2:45 - 3:00 PM | Honourary Chair Remarks

Location: Cardigan/Hillsborough Room

Sébastien Huron, CEO, Virbac - France

3:00 - 5:00 PM | One-to-One Business Partnering
Sponsored by: Meiji Animal Health

Location: Bedeque Room

5:00 – 6:00 PM | Wine and Cheese Reception

Location: Conference Foyer