The objective was clear, to provide an in-person CPD event for practice managers, clinic owners and senior vets, with a UAE first focus… leadership in a veterinary context!
Winding back the clock to May 2025 and a conversation with Boehringer Ingelheim’s (BI) MENA representative, when it was explained that BI wanted to do something positive for the UAE’s veterinary community and hold a series of in-person CPD events with something for everyone, Nurses, Reception and Customer Care Assistants, Vets and, for the first time, a non-clinical session for practice and senior managers.
What a great idea!
Naturally, when it comes to leadership development, the obvious place to look to is the VMG which is how one of the VMG’s tutor team, Mike, who is based in Abu Dhabi, was the person having that conversation with BI back in May.
Following a series of conversations, the plan took shape and, with the support of Amy (Learning & Development Manager) and Chris (Operations & Development Director), the opportunity to introduce the VMG CVLM qualifications to a new audience (and a new region) became clear.
Three 60-minutes sessions that would combine learning materials from several complimentary CVLM modules, developed with a UAE focus to provide an educational and though-provoking day.
The intention was to provide usable, relatable knowledge that had valuable impact in application. Impacts that had been demonstrated time and again by the experiences shared by the wonderful VMG learning community… truly an evidence-based approach (which is so important for the CVLM qualifications!).
What was also unique was the opportunity for an in-person event to engage with the content and initiate conversations. An aspect that was both very attractive and also a little daunting!
Roll on to October 6th, 2025, and the day of the event.
Boehringer Ingelheim and their regional partner, IFT Gulf, had done a great job with the venue, organisation and pre-event awareness. As an invitation only event with a maximum capacity for 50 attendees, many of the UAE’s clinics would be represented and, importantly, many had confirmed!
And the day lived up to expectations; the attendees were engaged and involved as the sessions mapped out the day:
First session – “Understanding Yourself As A Leader”:
- Introduction (explain who VMG are and a short personal bio)
- Leadership in a Veterinary Context: highlighting the gaps in Veterinary Leadership identified via the State of UK Veterinary Leadership Report and providing context to the UAE
- The Impact of Leadership on Organizations (considering People, Patients, Profit, Planet): why leadership has never been more important
- The Role of EI in Leadership.
- How Do You Want to Lead? The value of reflection and self-awareness
- Wrap up session Q&A
Session Two – Strategic Leadership (in Challenging Times):
- Vision, Mission and Purpose (and avoiding dissonance)
- Strategic Thinking in Clinical Practice
- Using SWOT & PESTLE to make sense of the Macro and Microenvironment
- The Value of Data and Evidence-based Decision-making
- Workforce Planning (and the strategy of effective capacity planning)
- Wrap up session Q&A
Session Three: Leading Teams
- Team Roles and Development
- Authority, Power and Accountability
- Team Dynamics, Structure & Culture
- The Role of Motivation: and understanding motivational theory
- Evaluating Performance
- Wrap up session Q&A
With plenty of time for coffee breaks, a delicious lunch and many productive and engaging conversations, the day managed to fully deliver on that initial objective.
One of the most positive aspects that came out of the event was the recognition that veterinary leaders share the same challenges and successes around the world and the intentions for everyone within the room shared common themes, a people-first approach and a desire to improve as leaders for the benefit of their teams, patients and their own self-development goals.
For Mike, who led the event, these were the takeaways that demonstrated the value for every leader when stepping out from a busy schedule and taking time for reflection and self-awareness, finding a perspective that helps to remind us why we do what we do!
For the attendees, the day was a speed walk through EI, leadership theories, the power of reflection and the importance of evidence (amongst much else), and if everyone managed to implement one of the actions discussed, then what a day it was!
And a first for the UAE with VMG taking leadership CPD to a new level!
