Speakers

Meet the speakers for the OV Conference 2025 free webinar series​

Mihai Miron

MRCVS

Mihai Miron embarked on his journey in the realm of veterinary science by graduating as a veterinary surgeon from Iasi University, Romania, in 2013. Mihai’s aspirations led him across borders to the United Kingdom, where he ventured into the domain of meat hygiene inspection at one of the nation’s largest abattoirs. In 2016, fuelled by the desire to provide comprehensive care to animals in need, Mihai took a bold step and founded his own veterinary practice, while also using his skills to provide services to the local dog shelter.

In 2021, Mihai’s journey reached a pivotal juncture as he assumed the role of Managing Director and business partner at Heathrow Veterinary Services. He dedicated himself to streamlining and enhancing the pet export process, forging partnerships with private pet owners and pet travel agents alike.

Beyond his professional endeavours, Mihai’s interests are diverse. As a qualified fitness instructor, Mihai advocates for well-being, both for himself and others. His love for nature means that he finds solace in the tranquillity of fishing; a pursuit that allows him to reconnect with the natural world.

Sara Higgins

BVMS MVSc DACVIM-LA MRCVS PGCert Leadership and Management

Following graduation Sara first worked in mixed practice in Northern Ireland for two years. She then locumed and worked in equine practice in Australia, before moving to Canada to complete a large animal internal medicine residency. Having attained ACVIM diplomat status and a Masters in Veterinary Science she did an equine fellowship in the USA. Sara joined APHA in 2019 and now works as a veterinary advisor in the Veterinary Exotic Notifiable Disease Unit, leading the equine portfolio..

Sue Quinney

BSc. BVetMed MRCVS

Bio coming soon

Clare Benton

Bio coming soon

Claire Wade

BVSc MRCVS

Claire is a Veterinary Advisor in APHA’s Official Veterinarian Team and Animal Health Capability Development Team. In her dual role, she develops training material for field staff and supports the Veterinary Head of OV Regulatory Affairs in carrying out regulatory functions of OVs, Animal Health Paraprofessionals and Food Chain Certifying Officers.

Over the past decade in APHA she has worked in the field and more recently in multi-disciplinary teams advising on Defra’s bovine TB eradication strategy and control of exotic notifiable diseases. Prior to joining APHA, Claire spent six years in small animal practice.

Roger Cunningham

BVETMED CertBSP MRCVS

Roger qualified from RVC in 1987 and has since worked in The West Country in mixed (mainly farm) practice, most recently North Park Veterinary Group in West Devon.

I first became involved in export certification work around 2017 when a partner retired and I took over the cheese from a local creamery going to Third Countries. More experience was then gained when the practice started certifying a significant amount of dairy Formula powder out of a local transport depot.

However Brexit resulted in a massive increase in the workload and gradually extra administration and management ideas were developed to cope with the daily complexities involved in ensuring that our CSO’s and OVs were at the right depots on the correct days and on time. Keeping track of the whereabouts of all the EHCs was also tackled, as was simplifying how we booked the work.

The result is a combination of a cloud storage system and a custom-built database called Scooby, which is so good that I suggested it be presented at The OV Conference.

Now retired from clinical practice, I actively manage the export work – although that has become significantly easier these days!

Adrian Colloff

Bio coming soon

Ian Vernon

Bio coming soon