Committee

Sarah qualified as a vet from the Royal Veterinary College and has worked in first opinion and charity veterinary practices in the UK and New Zealand. Sarah is Head of Veterinary and Welfare Operations at Cats Protection, leading teams of cat welfare professionals who ensure every cat in the charity’s care experiences the highest possible standards of welfare. She plays a key role in developing veterinary and welfare guidance, supporting operational teams across the UK, and championing a “cats-first” approach in everything the charity does.  

She holds a post-graduate qualification in feline medicine and is currently completing an MSc in animal welfare with the University of Edinburgh. Sarah is also a Resident with the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine and will hopefully become a recognised veterinary specialist in animal welfare in the not-too-distant future!

Karen Hiestand is a lecturer in veterinary and animal ethics at the RVC and is a European and RCVS Specialist in Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law. She originally trained as a vet at Massey University in New Zealand, and she has wide ranging experience of first opinion mixed practice, shelter medicine, rehoming charities and voluntary work, particularly dog and cat population management programs.

Having always been focused on how to improve animal welfare, she entered post-graduate education starting with an MSc in applied animal behaviour and welfare at Edinburgh. This experience kicked off a very expensive habit, and over the ensuing years Karen completed a BSc in psychology, an MA in medical ethics and law, a residency with the European College of animal welfare and behavioural medicine, and a PhD in psychology – investigating the role of animal empathy in human-companion animal relationships.

Alongside her role as an educator, she continues to volunteer in the animal welfare sector and advise on welfare and ethics internationally.

Anna Ewers Clark is a vet and Veterinary Evidence and Content Manager at PDSA. Since graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 2015 she has worked in small animal practice in the charity, rehoming and private sectors.

She has a degree in Animal Behaviour & Welfare and a Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice. She is a champion for quality-of-life assessment in veterinary contexts, and strong advocate for evidence-based, pragmatic clinical decision making.

In her current role she is responsible for overseeing the creation of impactful veterinary materials, managing and coordinating research, and ensuring that policies are robust, evidence-led and welfare-centred.

Edwin Louis-Maerten is a vet who graduated from the National Veterinary School of Alfort, France. He also studied philosophy and applied ethics, with a particular focus on animal and medical ethics. After completing a PhD in bioethics at the University of Basel, Switzerland on the topic of animal experimentation and the 3Rs, he resumed clinical work with a specialist consultation in palliative medicine, algology and geriatrics for companion animals.

Edwin is currently completing a residency programme in animal welfare science, ethics, and law with the European College.

Vanessa is an independent animal welfare consultant, providing guidance on welfare and ethics to both the private and charity sectors. She graduated as a vet from the Royal Veterinary College in 2000 and began her career in first opinion mixed and small animal practice, working both in the UK and overseas. Following her return to the UK, Vanessa followed her true calling and focused her career on animal welfare within the charity sector. She was the first Field Veterinary Officer at Cats Protection, where she later progressed to the role of Head of Clinical Services, leading and supporting the organisation’s veterinary team.

After completing an MSc in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law through the University of Edinburgh Vanessa joined the RSPCA in a senior leadership role, overseeing animal welfare advice and support for the Inspectorate and branch network, acting as a strong advocate for the animal’s voice. During this time, she developed significant expertise in UK animal welfare legislation and casework.

Passionate about improving animal welfare, Vanessa has volunteered for several oversees animal welfare charities. In addition to her volunteer work for AWSELFA, she currently serves as the Clinical Governance Trustee for the charity StreetVet.

Heather is a registered veterinary nurse with a passionate, lifelong interest in animal welfare. After a career in pharmaceutical communications, Heather undertook her PhD by papers at the University of Reading, sponsored by The Donkey Sanctuary. She researched the value of donkeys in underpinning the livelihoods of poor rural farming communities in northern Ghana in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development. She interviewed and undertook focus groups with both donkey and non-donkey owners, uniquely including children aged between 10 to 16-years-old, asking them how they view and work with their family donkeys.
Heather’s papers focus on the study’s over-arching results, donkey welfare and livelihoods, especially relating to gender and children.

Re-entering the workplace, Heather is using pre-PhD skills as a project manager and research skills gained during her doctorate to work on an animal welfare study.

Sophia qualified as a vet from the University of Bristol in 1995 and in 2011 became an RCVS Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law, having previously taken the RCVS Certificate and Diploma; she is also a European diplomat in ECAWBM (AWSEL).
She is a veterinary adviser in the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), responsible for delivery of APHA’s welfare inspection programme for farm animal welfare (including transport, markets and cross compliance inspections).

In Sophia’s spare time, she rears her large brood of over-stocked children with her husband (and vet) in a messy but enriched environment with guinea pigs, stick insects, re-homed end-of-lay hens and a grandchild in Somerset. For relaxing she throws sharp pointy objects (darts) at a board or goes foraging to produce a variety of alcoholic infusions, jams and chutneys.