Navaratnam Partheeban has been appointed to the role of Regional Head of Farm in the South of England for IVC Evidensia.

This follows his recent mention in the King’s Birthday Honours and subsequent OBE for services to inclusion, awarded in part for his founding of the British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society.

He will join his fellow Regional Heads, Gill Whitehurst and Hugh Thomson, alongside Country Head of Farm Paul Horwood in a new look Farm Support Team serving practices across the UK.

Dr Partheeban’s career stretches back over 14 years as a Farm Vet, and he has previously worked in a variety of specialist areas such as clinical practice, pharmaceuticals, academia and animal nutrition to name a few.

He is now relishing his new role and looking forward to implementing the wider strategy of the leading veterinary group in practices. He commented:

“Personally, this new role represents a huge opportunity for me to gain more experience of senior leadership in an established group like IVC Evidensia, and I can’t wait to get started in contributing to the Farm Vets brand and the wider local teams in my area.

“I’m already familiar with several members of the existing team such as Daniella Dos Santos [Head of Professional Culture] and Paul Horwood [Country Head of Farm] who I have known and respected for quite some time.”

And in return, Paul Horwood, IVC Evidensia’s Country Head of Farm, had this to say about his new colleague at Farm Vets:

“Having known Theeb for a number of years, I am really excited to be able to welcome him to the Farm Vets team.

“He brings a wealth of experience from across the farming sector, from clinical farm practice, time in industry and his Nuffield scholarship, and I am looking forward to working with him as we continue to grow the Farm Vets brand across the UK.”

A powerful voice for diversity and inclusion

In amongst royal accolades and an evolving career, Dr Partheeban also holds a directorship at the prestigious Oxford Farming Conference and has helped create and currently leads the Breaking Barriers Scholarship scheme.

This is a scheme open to five individuals who have an interest in the farming or agriculture sector and identify as Black or a Person of Colour (BPOC).

As a powerful voice and well-respected vet professional in the in the industry as a whole, Dr Partheeban aims to build upon the foundations of many existing values held by IVC Evidensia and aims to embed them further at practice level, for the benefit of colleagues across the UK.

He added:

“Initiatives such as the Positive Pawprint report, the new flexible working policy, Farm24, and the group’s strong stance on diversity and inclusion are what drew me to the role in the first place and I hope I can drive these further and encourage best practice where possible.

“I believe the experience I have gained throughout my career can help contribute positively to these projects and others in the future. I look forward to collaborating with and supporting UK teams very soon.”

To find out more about IVC Evidensia Farm Vets, head over to the website here.

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