Pets at Home as appointed former Burger King COO, Richard Dening-Smitherman, to head up its veterinary business Vets for Pets.

Richard will join the pets’ executive team as Managing Director of Vets for Pets, and will lead the vet group supported by the Vet Leadership Team and the Practice Owner Joint Venture Council. 

Richard brings with him a wealth of leadership experience across large national and international organisations, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Burger King UK – one of the world’s largest food franchise businesses. 

Prior to this, Richard was Chief Executive Officer at Nando's in the Middle East – leading the expansion of franchise opportunities across the region. He has also held leadership roles at Waitrose and at Intraject, a healthcare technology company, where he led the production development of a new automated needle-free technology.

Commenting on Richard’s appointment, Chief Executive Officer, Lyssa McGowan, said: “Richard has fantastic experience delivering success with some of the biggest brands in franchise based organisations, which will be invaluable in this new role to protect and nurture our unique joint venture model and to continue the development of our vet business.”

Richard said: "I am truly delighted to be joining the Pets family as Managing Director of the Vet Group. Pets is an amazing business with a passionate and caring team that is truly creating a better world for pets and the people who love them. As someone who also loves their pets, I have personally experienced this. Our Vet Group is a world class clinical team, and I am excited to meet everyone and support our business success as we continue building the world’s best pet care platform together.”