It’s Just One of Those “Vet Things”: How Ben Hanning Turned Veterinary Culture Into Innovation
Some things in veterinary life are hard to explain to outsiders. For Dr Ben Hanning, the phrase, “It’s just one of those vet things,” became an inspiration for a new kind of veterinary group.
Metrics, margins and merges matter, but according to Ben, the true measure of a successful practice is the well-being of the people in the practice.
We caught up with Ben to understand more about his thoughts. For him, psychological safety, predictability, and long-term thinking for veterinary teams are what really matter.
If people feel safe and valued, they make better decisions, collaborate, and provide better care. VetThing’s model supports local leadership, invests in training, and builds partnerships rather than imposing one-size-fits-all structures. Ben’s mission is clear: ensure teams thrive, so practices thrive, and the profession as a whole moves forward sustainably.
From Accounting Dreams to Veterinary Passion
Ben’s path to veterinary leadership was far from linear. As a teenager, he considered accounting as a career, drawn to the clarity of numbers and structure. But during work experience in an accountancy firm, he realised the role left him unfulfilled. A chance encounter with a local vet changed everything. Invited to spend the holidays gaining hands-on experience, from kennels to reception, he discovered a world that resonated deeply with him.
“I fell in love with that world,” he recalls. “The passion, the people, the way the team worked together, it stuck with me.”
He pursued veterinary medicine at Cambridge and built a career across mixed practices in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Along the way, he explored leadership, operations, IT, marketing, and M&A in corporate groups, and even dipped into human healthcare with Portman Dental. Each experience added new tools, but one lesson stood out: the success of any practice begins with its people.
Not Just Another Corporate Group?
For Ben, metrics and margins are important, but they are secondary. True success, he argues, comes from creating an environment where teams feel safe, supported, and empowered.
People are the foundation. Teams must know their roles are secure and predictable. Leadership must think long-term, avoiding the trap of short-term fixes that undermine trust and goodwill. When everyone feels valued, collaboration improves, judgment is sharper, and patient care naturally elevates.
This philosophy directly informs the model behind VetThing, the veterinary group Ben now leads.
A New Model for Veterinary Groups
Unlike traditional corporate structures, VetThing is not about centralising decision-making or enforcing uniformity. Instead, it’s a partnership. Practices retain autonomy while gaining access to shared resources: capital, training, education, and a community of peers.
Teams are incentivised over the long term, not through one-off targets or earn-outs, but via five-year plans designed for sustainability and growth. Senior vets, nurses, care managers, and other key staff all have a stake in the success of the practice, creating alignment across the group.
This approach also challenges the binary view of “corporate vs. independent” that dominates UK veterinary discourse. For Ben, corporate isn’t about ownership, it’s about behaviour. Centralisation can stifle judgment and culture; VetThing’s model preserves individuality while offering the benefits of scale.
Preparing for the Future
Ben is optimistic about the profession’s future. Emerging technologies, AI, preventive care models, and subscription services offer new ways to deliver veterinary care. But he cautions that sustainability must come first: freeing teams from administrative friction is essential, but overloading them with more work risks burnout and attrition.
He also sees promise in the wave of new “greenfield” practices, entrepreneurial vets setting up independently, and innovative models taking root. For Ben, diversity in the ecosystem strengthens the profession as a whole, fostering resilience, creativity, and growth.
“The ingredients are there for a sustainable, thriving veterinary sector,” he notes. “We just need to put people and culture first.”
About VetThing
At its core, VetThing is about supporting people, not just managing practices. It is a pan-European group where innovation and growth can flourish with its own national flavour. Dr Ben Hanning’s journey, from aspiring accountant to frontline vet, to executive, to founder of a people-first veterinary group, demonstrates that true leadership in veterinary care begins with care itself.
For veterinary teams ready to thrive in an evolving sector, VetThing offers more than guidance. It offers partnership, community, and sustainable growth.
👉 Learn more about VetThing and how they can support your veterinary practice: Visit VetThing.
Watch Ben’s session at Day 4: Beyond the Corporate Label