Vetnews | Augustus 2025 2 « BACK TO CONTENTS The past month has been extremely inspiring. From global congresses to local strategy sessions, I’ve come away with a renewed sense of just how much the veterinary profession is evolving and how important it is that we evolve with it. It also gave me an opportunity to reflect on the principles of good corporate governance and ethical veterinary leadership from both an individual and collective perspective. The scale of the AVMA/WVA Congress reflected the strength of an organisation with over 100,000 members and affiliates. There were over 600 continuing education sessions, an exhibition hall filled to capacity and a global audience, a testament to the depth of scope of our profession. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Sandra Faeh, the outgoing AVMA president and IVOC host, for her warm hospitality, and congratulate Dr Michael Q. Bailey, the new AVMA president. I wish him a successful and impactful presidential term! The WVA’s General Assembly highlighted the work completed by its committees and working groups over the past year. Their focus areas include animal welfare, medicine stewardship, and veterinary education (including ethics). Their efforts in this past year resulted in the development of important position statements on the use, availability, and regulation of veterinary medicines. Updates were also shared on the WVA’s One Health Initiative and efforts to improve access to veterinary services in under-resourced areas and to strengthen the veterinary team globally. I encourage our members to visit their website and stay engaged, as the organisation often sends out calls for experts to serve on their committees. We need to significantly contribute the African perspective, which is usually unique on these platforms. We also need to maintain our membership as there is much to learn, benchmark and contribute. The IVOC meeting was also well attended by the member countries. The focus of the coalition is to share and benchmark on critical veterinary issues, including the veterinary workforce, animal health and veterinary business. Take-homes from this meeting strengthened our business strategy process and confirmed the need to look at our value proposition again. Thus, this month, be on the lookout for a survey in this regard, and I encourage all members to participate so that we can align our activities and member offerings with your needs. We had already started on the SAVA business strategy process as shared earlier in the year, and much progress has been made to reduce costs; ensure we continue with our advocacy for the profession and the creation of an efficient member-centred administration. During July, the long-awaited AMR stakeholder engagement took place. I will feature outputs from this event in the next month. We also had, as a sector, an Indaba on FMD, which continues to be a disease control challenge. The commitment shown by the minister to fight this disease will surely bear long-term dividends. In July, I had the privilege of attending a Good Corporate Governance course—at no cost to SAVA, which is worth noting given the considerable expense typically associated with such training! The course offered a fresh and deeply insightful perspective on what it means to be a responsible professional. Its timing was particularly relevant for me, as we are in a transitional period awaiting the outcomes of the SAVC election process. One of the key takeaways was the reminder that ethical leadership is not confined to policy documents or codes of conduct; it is reflected in our daily actions and interactions (including X and WhatsApp, as our lecturer reflected). As such, how we engage on issues with colleagues, share perspectives, and uphold standards contributes significantly to shaping the culture and sustainability of the profession. For me, this was a powerful teachable moment and one I believe we can all reflect on as we continue to build a profession anchored in trust, respect and responsibility. Lastly, as we celebrate Women’s Month, it was encouraging to observe the increasing emphasis on inclusivity and representation within the veterinary profession. One couldn’t help but note the increased representation of women at the IVOC meeting as CEOs or presidents of associations, as well as the incorporation of younger professionals in influential roles. This diversity can only lead to a more robust and sustainable global profession. I thus urge our early career veterinarians to become more involved in the professional structures. By participating, you will have the opportunity to shape the future of the profession and ensure it reflects your values and aspirations. As we head into spring with a clear sense of purpose. Let’s keep the conversations going, keep learning from each other, and keep doing the work that strengthens our profession. v Groetnis! Ziyanda From the President Dear members, Lessons, Leadership & Looking Ahead
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