HallMark Receives FVE Great Veterinary Workplace Award 2025 in Brussels
HallMark Attends FVE 50th Anniversary and Receive Great Veterinary Workplace Award 2025
HallMark Veterinary & Compliance Services, proudly represented the United Kingdom at the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) 50th Anniversary celebrations in Brussels this December, where the company was formally recognised as the Winner of the 2025 Great Veterinary Workplace Award (Large Non-Clinical Category).
Patrick Steel (Managing Director), Penny Thorne (Finance Director) and Diego Sprekelsen (Operations Director) travelled to Brussels to attend two milestone events marking FVE’s special anniversary year.
FVE Christmas Reception
Hosted at the headquarters of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, the Christmas Reception opened the two-day celebration and brought together veterinary leaders, policymakers, public health specialists and professional representatives from across Europe.
For the HallMark directors, the reception offered a valuable opportunity to meet the FVE team, gain a deeper understanding of the organisation’s European policy work, and connect with colleagues from multiple countries.
About FVE
The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe represents more than 300,000 veterinarians across 38 European countries, including the United Kingdom through the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
Despite Brexit, the UK remains an active and valued participant within FVE, ensuring British veterinary expertise continues to shape European discussions on legislation, standards, and policy.
FVE plays a central role in:
shaping EU-level legislation affecting animal health, animal welfare, food safety and public health
uniting the veterinary profession across borders
coordinating European responses to major issues such as AMR, zoonoses and One Health
supporting veterinary wellbeing, retention and professional standards
influencing future regulatory frameworks through scientific expertise and stakeholder engagement
Visiting the FVE headquarters provided important insight into how this influential organisation operates and how membership contributions support its policy, scientific and advocacy work. The modern facility reflects FVE’s scale and responsibility in representing veterinarians at the highest levels of European decision-making.
Meeting colleagues and UK representatives
The reception provided an opportunity to reconnect with familiar UK colleagues and leaders active within the wider European veterinary landscape, including:
Jane Clark, FVE Vice-President and FSA Veterinary Director
Milorad Radakovic, President of EVERI (European Veterinarians in Education, Research and Industry)
Javier Dominguez, Secretariat General of the European Commission and respected veterinary public health advocate
Directors also met members of the FVE Secretariat and several interns.
This international gathering highlighted how interconnected the veterinary profession remains across Europe, and how essential continued collaboration will be to meet future challenges.
FVE 50th Anniversary Symposium – 4 December 2025
The symposium, titled “The European Veterinary Profession: 50 Years of Veterinary Progress and What Lies Ahead”, gathered leaders from EU institutions, veterinary associations, academia and international organisations to reflect on five decades of progress and explore future challenges. Discussions examined current pressures on the profession—shifting demographics, workforce shortages, rising societal expectations, evolving roles in public health and One Health, and the need to modernise education and workplace culture—alongside forward-looking themes such as the impact of AI and automation, strategies to support wellbeing and retention, strengthening communication and public trust, emerging competencies in global trade and biosecurity, and the continued importance of European collaboration. Across the symposium, speakers highlighted that the profession’s future success relies on investment in people, updated skills and sustained cross-border cooperation.
A European Recognition – Great Veterinary Workplace Awards 2025
The symposium concluded with the presentation of the Great Veterinary Workplace Awards, honouring organisations that demonstrate outstanding commitment to people, culture and wellbeing.
As FVE Vice-President Mette Uldahl said:
“The workplace awards have one purpose – recognising teams who not only care for animal health, animal welfare or public health, but who also care for their own people. When our people thrive, so does our profession.”
2025 Award Recipients
Winner – Large Non-Clinical Workplaces
HallMark Veterinary & Compliance Services (United Kingdom)
For prioritising employee development through dedicated training, mentoring, wellbeing check-ins and flexible deployment.
Winner – Small/Medium Non-Clinical Workplaces
Vita-Vet (North Macedonia)
For involving all staff in decision-making and demonstrating equity and inclusion through female leadership.
Winner – Small/Medium Clinical Workplaces
Clinica Veterinaria Giaconella (Italy)
For innovating clinic management with technologies that allow flexibility, high standards and impact measurement.
Winner – Large Clinical Workplaces
Tierarztpraxis am Stadtpark (Austria)
For fostering a positive work environment based on psychological safety, DEI commitment and structured learning through mistake reviews.
HallMark was honoured to stand alongside these outstanding European colleagues.
A Proud Moment for HallMark and the Vorenta Group
Receiving this award on a European stage is a testament to the dedication of our teams across Official Controls, Meat Inspection, Border Control Posts, Export Certification, Training and wider operational services.
Diego Sprekelsen, Operations Director, commented:
“This award is a testament to our mission-driven team working behind the scenes to protect public health, food safety, and animal welfare. It reflects the integrity, dedication, and resilience of everyone at HallMark and across the wider Vorenta Group.”
The HallMark delegation received warm congratulations from veterinary leaders, FVE members, and delegates throughout both events.
HallMark is proud to bring this European recognition back to the UK, reinforcing its position as a leading provider of veterinary and compliance services, built on collaboration, integrity and excellence.
