Dr. Karen Shenoy Is Now Hill's Global Chief Veterinary Officer. Her Path There Is Worth Knowing.

On June 4, Hill's Pet Nutrition announced that Dr. Karen Shenoy has been appointed Global Chief Veterinary Officer, stepping into one of the most prominent veterinary leadership roles in the pet nutrition industry. She joins the Hill's global leadership team to lead the company's Professional and Veterinary Affairs function worldwide, representing Hill's in industry engagements and serving as the primary liaison between the company and the global veterinary community.

The appointment is notable for more than one reason. Dr. Shenoy is a veterinarian who built her career incrementally inside one of the largest pet nutrition companies in the world, moving from a field-based role in Minneapolis to the highest veterinary position in the organization over nearly two decades. Her trajectory is a case study in what leadership development in the industry can look like for veterinarians who choose the corporate and professional affairs path.

How She Got Here

Dr. Shenoy joined Hill's in 2008 as a Practice Development Veterinarian in Minneapolis, one of the field-facing roles that put veterinarians in direct contact with practices and clinicians. After several years in the field, she relocated to Hill's headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas in 2015 to take on the role of Senior Manager of Academic Affairs, a pivot toward the professional and educational side of the business.

From there, she progressed through multiple leadership positions before being named Chief Veterinary Officer for Hill's US operations in 2022, a role she held through 2025. Most recently she served as Vice President and Chief Veterinarian for Hill's EMEA, where she led strategies to advance Hill's as a trusted brand among veterinary healthcare teams across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

That combination of U.S. and international experience at the senior leadership level is exactly what a global CVO role demands. Hill's president Yvonne Hsu called out Dr. Shenoy's focus on inclusion, education, and advocacy as central to what she has brought to the profession throughout her tenure.

Why This Appointment Matters

Veterinary medicine is a profession where women represent the majority of graduates but remain underrepresented at the highest levels of corporate and organizational leadership. Dr. Shenoy's appointment to a global C-suite veterinary role at a major multinational company is a data point worth naming in that context.

It also reflects something broader about the career landscape for veterinarians who pursue industry roles. The path from Practice Development Veterinarian to Global Chief Veterinary Officer is not a straight line, but it is a real one. Dr. Shenoy's career demonstrates that veterinarians who move into industry are not leaving the profession behind. They are shaping how the profession is supported, educated, and resourced on a global scale.

In her own words: "At Hill's, we believe in the profound power of nutrition to transform pets' lives. I look forward to working alongside our talented teams of scientists, researchers, and veterinary professionals to further elevate our clinical innovations and support veterinary healthcare teams around the world."

She succeeds Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn in the global CVO role and takes on a position that will influence how Hill's engages with veterinary professionals across every market the company operates in.

The Bigger Picture

The veterinary profession is paying more attention than ever to where its leaders come from, what paths they took, and who is being elevated into rooms where decisions get made. Dr. Shenoy's appointment is a reminder that those rooms exist inside industry as much as inside academia or organized veterinary medicine, and that veterinarians who pursue those paths are doing consequential work for the profession.

Congratulations, Dr. Shenoy.

TAGS: women in veterinary medicine, leadership, Hill's Pet Nutrition, industry, career, Dr. Karen Shenoy, Global CVO, professional affairs, pet nutrition, corporate veterinary