internalblog

Vimian Newsletter vol.3 2026

Written by Ali Tajbakhsh | Jul 17, 2026 8:02:45 AM

Dear colleagues, 

We had a successful spring with strong results in all four segments. Well done everyone!

We are growing above the average animal health market, our customers appreciate the quality of our products and services, and we continue to attract new companies and entrepreneurs that are keen to join our family. Dialogues with new companies have intensified in the past months and the team is now working hard to push these conversations over the finish line.

During May and June, we completed our annual business planning process where we look five years ahead and set the direction for our development. I was excited to see all the innovations and initiatives across each segment. We also discussed how we can strengthen the Group’s support to our segments and businesses by leveraging new technology and how to continue investing in our culture. Our overall strategy, to build a global leader in select niches of animal health with clear unmet medical needs, remains.

Thank you for a very strong quarter and first half of the year and I hope you will enjoy some relaxing summer holidays together with your two-legged and four-legged family members and friends!

Q2 highlights

  • Strong revenue and earnings growth
  • Nextmune launched 25 products and new R&D hub in France
  • Movora & iM3 trained >1,300 veterinary professionals
  • New ESG rating ‘AAA’ - highest score

 

Introducing Vimian Connect

We're excited to launch Vimian Connect, our new hub available to all employees globally. The portal offers a searchable employee directory, ethics training, an AI activation hub with use cases, a policy library with a Q&A chatbot, and more. How do you get in? Go to connect.vimian.com, enter your work email address, and you'll receive a magic link. Just click it and you're in. No passwords, no extra accounts.

At launch, Vimian Connect includes:

  • A landing page with an overview of Vimian and our segments.
  • An employee directory with a full org chart, so you can find and connect with colleagues anywhere in the organisation.
  • The annual mandatory ethics training, now accessible directly within the portal. This means no more email links.
  • An AI activation page, reflecting our commitment to building AI capability across the business, including examples of use cases.
  • An animal welfare page, where you can upload an image and have it assessed by AI against Vimian's Animal Welfare Guidelines.
  • A policy library, complete with a chatbot that can answer your questions directly based on Vimian policies.
  • Of course, Vimian Connect will always have the latest edition of the internal newsletter available!
A special thank you!
Vimian Connect started as an idea from our own Senior Leadership Programme. Two different cohorts, working on strategic projects of their own choosing, independently proposed the building blocks of what you see today.
 
The first cohort presented a concept called VimiSphere in 2024: thank you to Joana Leite, Thomas Chabin, Pierre D'Amours, and Peter Demarmels. The second cohort proposed a live staff directory, and company newsletter, and even suggested the name Vimian Connect. Thank you to Erik Öhlén, Korrie Wilhelm, Lisa Murphy, and Christian Battazza.
 
Great example of the lasting value the Senior Leadership Programme brings to the Group!

 

Entering new markets: how VetFamily approaches expansion

VetFamily has recently expanded into three new geographies, Portugal, Ireland, and Japan. We sat down with Linn Hultberg, Business Development Director at VetFamily, to learn about the approach to new market entries.

What makes a market worth entering

Growing a business across borders requires a structured approach. When evaluating a new market, Linn explains, the team analyses a consistent set of factors, e.g.: the number and size of clinics, the share owned by corporate chains versus independent operators, spending per pet, and whether pharmaceutical products are sold through the clinic or via pharmacies.

Why Japan is attractive

Japan is one of the world's largest economies, has some 16 million dogs and cats, and approximately 12,000 veterinary clinics, of which only a small proportion are corporate-owned. Japanese pet owners spend around €1,200 per dog per year, and pharmaceutical sales predominantly flow through clinics rather than pharmacies. Factors that are highly attractive for VetFamily's membership model and sparked an interest to take a closer look at the market.

With urban living spaces that are famously compact and birth rates that continue to fall, pets, particularly cats and small dogs, have become central to many households.

Getting the groundwork right

Equally important was finding the right person on the ground. Through its longstanding relationship with Boehringer Ingelheim, VetFamily connected with Hiro, the outgoing head of the company's Japanese animal health division, who spent 18 months mapping the market, conducting 120 clinic interviews, and laying the groundwork for launch. The results were encouraging: clinics rated the VetFamily proposition 4.2 out of 5 for likelihood to join.

As of 1 April 2026, Keiichiro (Kei) Yoshimoto has joined as Country Manager, while Hiro remains part of the team in a role as senior consultant.

“When I first encountered the VetFamily model, I immediately saw its potential here. Japanese pet owners are deeply committed to their animals' wellbeing, and yet the market remains largely fragmented and independent. Exactly the kind of environment where VetFamily can make a difference.” - Keiichiro Yoshimoto, Country Manager, VetFamily Japan.

Japan: open for business

VetFamily is formally launching its business in Japan this month, with procurement and community services forming the initial offering. Partner agreements with manufacturers and wholesalers are being finalised, and clinic recruitment now begins in earnest.

 

New version of allergy test PAX

Nextmune is proud to introduce the next generation of PAX, the world's most advanced veterinary allergy test. Developed in Q4 2025 and launching soon, this updated version includes 25 allergens newly identified as relevant for dogs, through a collaboration with a leading American immunology biotech company.

Nextmune designed a new version of the allergy test PAX in Q4 2025, which will launch soon. This new version includes 25 additional allergens newly identified as relevant for dogs through a collaboration with an American immunology biotech company.

PAX is today the most advanced veterinary allergy test worldwide, and, like many human allergy tests, it focuses on the most allergenic proteins in extracts, in contrast to extract-based skin or serum tests still used by most practitioners.

This second PAX version does a better job of identifying which specific allergens each pet reacts to. This makes it possible to customise allergy treatments more precisely for each pet, which should lead to better results and a competitive edge in the market." - Prof. Thierry Olivry, DrVet, PhD, Head of R&D, Nextmune AB, Stockholm

 

Getting more from Claude: a few habits that go a long way

Most "I keep hitting usage limits" frustration traces back to a few habits where the fix is simple. These 6 easy steps can help you!

  1. Conversation hygiene: One task, one chat. Start fresh when the topic changes. Every message re-processes the full thread.
  2. Only feed what is needed: Trim what you upload rather than attaching the 80-page PDF.
  3. Use Projects for recurring context: Documents uploaded to a Project are cached, so re-referencing them doesn't re-bill the full content each time.
  4. Match the tool to the task: Match the model to the task. Use a lighter, faster model tier for simple jobs; save the most powerful model for hard problems.
  5. Ask for output you need: Ask for the five key points instead of the full essay.
  6. Be specific up front: vague prompts trigger back-and-forth, and every round trip re-charges the whole conversation.

These take minutes to adopt. 👉 Full guidance on the new AI Activation guide on Vimian Connect.

 

From limping to leaping: a dog's comeback

Check out this video from Movora where a dog gets new mobility after treatment with OrthoSta, a streamlined stabilisation system designed to support confident recovery from cruciate ligament injuries. Now, this little champion is ready for new adventures! Link here.


 

Building one Vimian: first global leadership conference

At the end of August, leaders from across Vimian will gather in France for the first-ever Global Leadership Conference, an important investment in building a stronger, more connected Vimian.

Over three days, leaders from different segments, functions, and countries will align on strategy and priorities, share best practices, and explore opportunities to create value together.

By strengthening relationships across the group and developing a shared understanding of where we are heading, participants will return with new ideas, insights, and connections that can benefit their teams and everyday work.

As Vimian continues to grow, bringing leaders and key contributors together is an important step in ensuring that we combine the strength of our individual businesses with the power of one global organisation. The conversations start in France, but the impact should be felt across the entire group.

 

Choosing wisely: meet our new Animal Welfare Image Assessment Tool

Did you know that there are 22 dog breeds that should not appear in Vimian's marketing and communications (unless used for clinical purposes)? The images we publish shape what people see as normal, healthy and desirable, so every animal we show should be one living the best life possible. Our new Animal Welfare Image Assessment Tool makes that simple.


Built on our updated guidelines and the Five Welfare Needs, it checks any image in seconds, flagging extreme conformations, mutilations, aversive devices and tense body language before they reach print. Check before you publish 👉 https://connect.vimian.com/animal-welfare