The inaugural cohort attracted 47 applications for just 25 available places, reflecting both the strong demand for leadership development within the profession and the clear need for structured support for emerging association leaders worldwide.
“I am driven to empower younger veterinarians in Sri Lanka by strengthening professional networks, leadership skills, and opportunities for continuous learning.” Nivethika Sobisan, Sri Lanka
The selected participants represent a highly diverse and globally balanced cohort, bringing together future leaders from across regions, career stages, and professional contexts. Geographically, the cohort spans multiple regions:
- Asia: 9 participants
- Sub-Saharan Africa: 7 participants
- North America: 4 participants
- Latin America & the Caribbean: 3 participants
- Europe: 2 participants
“Learning alongside a global cohort is essential to understanding how veterinary associations can evolve, engage members, and sustain leadership.” Jakub Jasiak, Poland.
Thanks to the generous support of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) the Pro Salus Foundation and Dr Julie Stafford and Mr Erik Mundahl, several fully funded places were made available for the program.
This global mix reflects WSAVA’s commitment to inclusive leadership development and to strengthening veterinary associations in diverse cultural, economic, and professional settings.
Building capability for association leadership
The Future Association Leader Program has been developed to equip participants with the skills, confidence, and strategic perspective required to lead veterinary associations in an increasingly complex global environment. The program focuses on practical leadership capability, governance and strategy, stakeholder engagement, and leading change—key competencies for those contributing to, or aspiring to, leadership roles within member associations.
Delivered through a blend of online learning, live interactive sessions, and peer engagement, the program enables participants to learn alongside colleagues from different regions while applying insights directly to their own association contexts. This cohort-based approach is designed to foster long-term professional networks and cross-regional collaboration within the WSAVA community.
A milestone for WSAVA’s leadership development agenda
The launch of the Future Association Leader Program marks an important milestone in WSAVA’s wider commitment to capacity building, sustainability, and leadership succession across its global membership. By investing in future leaders today, WSAVA aims to support stronger, more resilient veterinary associations that can better serve their members and advance animal health and welfare worldwide.
WSAVA looks forward to working with this first cohort throughout the year and to building on the program’s success in future intakes.