Top vet becomes clinical director at Pets at Home
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Top vet Dick White is to become clinical director of a new specialist division of Pets at Home Vet Group.
The appointment follows the acquisition of his practice Dick White Referrals in Cambridgeshire plus Eye-Vet Referrals in Cheshire.. The new specialist division of Pets at Home Vet Group will comprise Dick White Referrals at Six Mile Bottom, Northwest Surgeons, Anderson Moores, and Eye Vet Referrals, alongside the existing First Opinion Division comprising Vets4Pets and Companion Care. Prof White, who has 36 letters after his name, founded Dick White Referrals in 2003. It is now one of the largest collections of veterinary specialists anywhere in Europe with 66 vets and around 5,000 patients a year. It will continue to operate as a standalone brand with the Vet Group. Professor White will remain as a shareholder. "Forming this strategic partnership provides great opportunities for us to continue to develop Dick White Referrals as a world class referrals centre with a team of leading veterinary specialists," he said. "I am delighted to be working with a partner that shares our vision. Joining the board of the specialist division will allow me to provide clinical leadership and governance across the division, input into the formulation of strategy and support M&A activity and veterinary recruitment. Pets at Home has acquired a 76% ownership stake in DWR for a consideration of £14.1m and will operate the practice as a shared venture model through which the founder, Professor Dick White, and the key clinicians, will retain 24% equity ownership.
Eye-Vet Referrals (EVR), based in Cheshire, is a dedicated opthalmology centre with six veterinary clinicians.
EVR already provides services to one of our referral centres, NorthWest Surgeons, as well as to other primary opinion veterinary practices. EVR will also operate as a shared venture, with the founders retaining 10% equity ownership.
Ian Kellett, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are delighted to welcome both Dick White Referrals and Eye-Vet Referrals to the Group.
"These new shared ventures represent another strategic step in building our presence in the specialist referrals market, whilst also enhancing our reputation with the UK's veterinary clinicians.
"We have grown our specialist referrals division to four centres in just over a year and see further opportunities in the veterinary market that will deliver growth and attractive returns."
Dick White, often described as being a supervet, is pictured above operating on a bear!
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