Tag Archives: Industry News

The animal health intelligence company, Ceres Tag, is expanding into the United States for the distribution of its first-of-its-kind direct-to-satellite technology

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – January 29, 2025 – The KC Animal Health Corridor, an affiliate of the Kansas City Area Development Council, announced today that Ceres Tag, an Australian leader in direct-to-satellite animal monitoring technology, has chosen Overland Park, Kansas, to be the home of its first-ever North American headquarters. The company is the latest to select the area due to its unmatched strength in the animal health sector. 

Ceres Tag’s groundbreaking, solar-charged smart monitoring sensors communicate directly with satellites and are attached to the ear of wildlife or livestock. The technology offers insights previously unavailable to farmers, ranchers, and wildlife managers to improve tracking accuracy, productivity and conservation. By delivering plug-and-play solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing software infrastructure, Ceres Tag empowers end-users with a scalable and less intrusive approach to animal location and health monitoring.

“The Kansas City region was the clear choice for our North American headquarters,” said David Smith, founder and CEO of Ceres Tag. “This region offers the perfect environment to grow our presence and deliver our groundbreaking technology to businesses and conservation organizations across North America.”

Ceres Tag’s new office will initially support four to six employees, with additional sales representatives positioned strategically across the United States. The company’s arrival is expected to pave the way for more Australian animal health innovators to land in the Kansas City market, as well.

Supporting a New ‘Digital Native’ Generation of Animal Health Professionals

Young animal health professionals, digital natives with a heightened focus on animal welfare, represent a key demographic for Ceres Tag’s technology. By improving market access and providing unprecedented insights into animal health and performance, Ceres Tag equips ranchers, farmers and more with the tools they need to adapt to evolving industry demands and ensure optimized solutions for their own businesses and customers. According to one recent buyer of the technology, “The Ceres Tag platform offers opportunities to improve productivity and provide a richer range of information to guide decision-making. This innovative technology is essential in monitoring biosecurity, health, welfare, performance, traceability & theft detection.”

A Strategic Addition to the KC Animal Health Corridor

Located in the heart of the Animal Health Corridor – the largest hub of animal health industry assets in the world – the KC region offers an unparalleled concentration of animal health innovation and a thriving network of more than 300 established companies.

“Ceres Tag’s investment in our region was largely decided due to our global reputation as the epicenter of animal health innovation,” said Kimberly Young, president of the KC Animal Health Corridor. “Representing 56 percent of total worldwide animal health, diagnostics and pet food sales, the Animal Health Corridor is home to some of the most cutting-edge technology in our industry, and we’re thrilled to welcome Ceres Tag to our robust network.”

The company’s Overland Park headquarters will be located at 6550 Sprint Parkway, Suite 200, Overland Park, KS 66211.

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About Ceres Tag

Ceres Tag is a pioneering Australian company specializing in direct-to-satellite animal monitoring technology. The company’s innovative solutions provide real-time tracking and data analytics for livestock and wildlife, enhancing productivity, profitability and sustainability in the agriculture and conservation sectors. | cerestag.com

About the KC Animal Health Corridor

Representing more than half of the global animal health industry’s sales, and home to over 300 animal health companies, the KC Animal Health Corridor is the largest concentration of its kind worldwide. Anchored by Manhattan, Kansas, and Columbia, Missouri, the Corridor serves as a thriving hub for innovation and collaboration. | kcanimalhealth.com

About the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC)

Serving the 18-county, two-state Kansas City area, the Kansas City Area Development Council is an economic development nonprofit that promotes the region’s business and lifestyle assets to companies and talent around the world. Working closely with its two states, and 50-plus county and community partners, the region has attracted more than 64,000 new jobs over its 45-year history. KCADC also leads the efforts behind the KC Animal Health Corridor, KC SmartPort, TeamKC, KC Heartland and KC Global Design. | onekc.org

About Greater Kansas City

Home to 2.5 million people, Kansas City is a vibrant metro in the heart of the U.S., known as the “KC Heartland.” In addition to a renowned arts community, the KC region is a center for leading industries including logistics, technology, digital health, architecture and engineering, animal health and entrepreneurship. | www.KC.org

Laurie Hueneke Martens, Eve Hanks, and Chelsie Estey honored for their leadership, innovation, and impact as mentors in the Animal Health industry

ORLANDO, Fla. (January 29, 2025) – The Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc., alongside over 325 industry leaders, celebrated the remarkable achievements of women in the Animal Health industry at the eighth annual Feather in Her Cap Awards ceremony. This year’s prestigious winners include Laurie Hueneke Martens, associate vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Merck Animal Health, for the 2025 Feather in Her Cap Award; Eve Hanks, CEO of MI:RNA Ltd, honored with the newly-added 2025 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award; and Chelsie Estey, vice president of US Pet Care at Parnell, recognized with the 2025 High Flyer Award.

“This year’s winners and nominees represent the best of what the Animal Health industry has to offer: groundbreaking innovators across several disciplines, steadfast industry leadership, and a dedication to mentoring the next generation of female leaders,” said Christine Jenkins, president, Feather in Her Cap Association.

“Laurie, Eve, and Chelsie exemplify what it means to lead with purpose and passion. We are honored to celebrate their achievements.”

2025 Feather in Her Cap Award Winner: Laurie Hueneke Martens, BS, MS 
Associate Vice President, Public Policy & Government Relations at Merck Animal Health

Laurie Hueneke Martens has nearly two decades of experience advancing public policy, international trade, and sustainability within Animal Health and Agriculture. Since joining Merck Animal Health a decade ago, Hueneke Martens has built and led the company’s Public Policy and Government Relations function, chairing the Trade Committee at Animal Health Institute (AHI), the Leadership Team at HealthforAnimals and was recently appointed to the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) for Trade in Animals and Animal Products by U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative. She has led her team to remove access barriers to products for customers, enhanced regulatory predictability and transparency, addressed global supply chain barriers and worked with the industry to achieve ‘essential’ designation for Animal Health products during the pandemic. She is passionate about mentoring young women, expanding their horizons, and inspiring future leaders.

As part of her recognition, Hueneke Martens selected two charities to share a $5,000 donation: the Bellevue Iowa FFA chapter and the Jackson County Iowa Humane Society.

Nominees for the 2025 Feather in Her Cap Award included:

• Tara Bidgood, DVM, PhD, DACVCP, CCFP – VP, Head, Petcare Veterinary Professional Services and Medical Affairs at Zoetis
• Kristin Bloink, PA-C, MPH, DVM, DACVPM – Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs and

Pharmacovigilance, Elanco and Chairperson, Elanco Foundation at Elanco

• Siobhan Marie Averall-Davies, BVetMed – Senior Director, Pharmacovigilance at Elanco
• Joanne Maki, BS, DVM, MS, PhD – Vice President, US Global Innovation and US Regulatory Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim
• Jill Stohs, BS, DVM – Senior Director, Veterinary Professional Services and Medical Affairs at Dechra
• Kathy Vannatta, BS, MBA – Senior Vice President, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at Phibro
• Maria Elena Vazquez Sandoval – Director of Quality at Ceva
• Nicole Westfall, MBA – Senior Vice President, Marketing at Zomedica

2025 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award Winner: Eve Hanks, BVM&S CertAVP (EM) PhD MRCVS, CEO, MI:RNA Ltd

As CEO of MI:RNA Ltd, Eve Hanks leads the first company in veterinary medicine focused on microRNA technology using research Eve conducted for her PhD at Scotland’s Rural College, SRUC. Under her leadership, MI:RNA has become a multi-award-winning company bringing innovation to the veterinary diagnostics market by focusing on early disease diagnosis, prognosis and response to treatment using microRNAs (miRNAs) and artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to leading the company from the ground up, including responsibility for strategy, investment and fundraising, Hanks has been recognized with the Impact Award 2024 by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) for mentoring other founders in Animal Health to support the growth of innovation and to encourage diversity and inclusion in entrepreneurship.

Nominees for the 2025 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award included:

• Celine Halioua, BSc – CEO and Founder of Loyal
• Kerryann Kocher, BS – CEO of Vytelle
• Christina Kelly Lopes, BA, MA – CEO of FidoCure
• Cara Wells, BS, PhD – CEO of EmGenisys

2025 High Flyer Award Winner: Chelsie Estey, MSc, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) Vice President US Pet Care, Parnell

Chelsie Estey transitioned from private practice to the Animal Health industry, where she achieved rapid success at Parnell, launching three prescription products in her first year and building the US Pet Care business. With a commitment to mentorship, Estey credits her mentors for shaping her journey and is passionate about supporting the next generation of Animal Health professionals.

Nominees for the 2025 High Flyer Award included:

• Jennifer Gagner, PhD – Director, Discovery & Tech Futures at IDEXX
• Laura Griffith, BS – Manager, Innovation Center at Phibro
• Sarah Kvidera, BS, PhD – Dairy Sustainability Technical Lead at Elanco
• Alyssa Mags, BS, CVT, FVTE – Co-Founder & Chief Visionary Officer for Empowering Veterinary Teams and Co-Founder & Director of Veterinary Team Strategy for Nutur
• Chitra Varma, BS – Head of Data Platforms at Zoetis

In Memoriam

In addition to the award winners, the Feather in Her Cap Association posthumously honored Kathy Gloyd, BS, DVM, for her career contributing to the advancement of the Animal Health industry. Gloyd passed away in October 2024. She worked in private practice and at Hills before founding Gloyd Group with her husband, Joe. The company later became Elevate DVM, Inc., and served various industrial, academic, and professional organizations related to veterinary medicine. Gloyd co-wrote the first criteria for RACE regulations for approval of CE programs accepted by state boards of Veterinary Medicine, was instrumental in founding and served as the first director of the Companion Animal Parasitic Council (CAPC), was the Executive Director of the American Heartworm Society, (AHS). She leaves a long legacy of positive impact on the Animal Health and Veterinary industries.

Follow the Feather in Her Cap Association on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/feather-in-her-cap-awards and at www.featherinhercap.org. The nomination process will reopen in the final quarter of 2025 to celebrate more outstanding women in Animal Health in 2026.

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About the Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc.

The Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women in the animal health industry.

Media Contact:

Julie Lawless
Lawless Strategic Communications
Julie.Lawless@lawlesscomms.com
+1.615.585.5861

In 2020, Dechra launched a University Team and selected the first set of student ambassadors. The Dechra University Team continues to focus on advancing veterinary student education, mentorship and wellness. Since then, the team has significantly increased access to education and resources for thousands of students through three key initiatives:

1. National education webinars for veterinary students: Dechra hosts 3-4 webinars each semester on topics such as mental health, social media etiquette, contract negotiation, and NAVLE board prep that have supported 8,000+ students.
2. The Dechra Student Ambassador Program has graduated 200+ student ambassadors since inception and has 57 students actively enrolled, including over 20 equine student ambassadors who focus on bringing equine educational activities to their peers. These students are studying veterinary medicine at 32 of the 35 colleges of veterinary medicine across the U.S. and Caribbean.
3. Over the last year, Dechra has hosted over 60 educational events on veterinary college campuses around the country to provide education opportunities to 6,000+ students.

Most recently, Dechra is adding an exciting fourth component to expand their University Program by partnering with the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) to begin offering scholarships to veterinary students and veterinary technician students.

Students interested in internal medicine, dermatology, or equine lameness can apply for these scholarships in partnership with AVMF, equaling about $50,000 in total. Recipients will be announced in February 2025.

Hear From Dechra Student Ambassadors

“Being the Dechra Companion Animal Student Ambassador at Oregon State University for the past two years has been an enriching experience and has enabled me to engage with and represent my fellow classmates, build lasting connections with industry professionals and stay informed about new product developments. It was rewarding to be a part of spearheading new initiatives like the Joint Injection & Arthrocentesis Wet Lab that creates valuable learning opportunities and helps to shape the future of industry collaboration with the college.” – Irene Liang, Class of 2026, Oregon State University

“I cannot speak highly enough of my role as a Dechra Student Ambassador. I associated with Dechra because I wanted a window into the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, but my position quickly grew into so much more than that. Not only have I met dozens of incredible individuals throughout the company from around the world, but I’ve organized memorable wellness events and generous product donations to our veterinary and local community. The positive impacts have felt wonderful and helped me connect meaningfully with many great people.” –  Hannah Arnade, PhD, Class of 2026, University of Georgia.

To Learn More

• To learn more about the Dechra scholarships for veterinary students through AVMF, click here.
• To learn more about the Dechra scholarships for veterinary technician students through AVMF, click here.
• To learn more about the Dechra University Program, including the Student Ambassador Program, reach out to Dr. Timothy Smaha- timothy.smaha@dechra.com