Our Conference

Conference Chair – Caroline Nokes MP

Biography to be confirmed.

Professor Natalie Waran 

Natalie (Nat) Waran is an internationally recognised animal behaviour and welfare scientist based in New Zealand. Nat gained a first-class Zoology degree from Glasgow University, and a PhD from Cambridge University’s Veterinary School (funded by the British Veterinary Association’s Animal Welfare Foundation) before working at the University of Edinburgh for 14 years.  

Nat has been a Professor of Animal Welfare since 2005 in both New Zealand and the UK. Following her return from New Zealand to Scotland in 2011, she was appointed to a named Chair and the inaugural Director of the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education at Edinburgh University’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies where she was also International Dean. In 2016 Nat returned to New Zealand as the Professor of One Welfare at the Eastern Institute of Technology (Te Pūkenga), and Executive Dean. Her current role is as the Director of the ‘A Good Life for Animals Centre’, a new research and education initiative established by Companion Animals New Zealand, the organisation responsible for the National Animal MicroChip Register. In 2021 Nat was appointed as Chair for the New Zealand National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC), and she is also a member of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC). She holds Hon. Professorial roles at Edinburgh, Nottingham Trent and Hartpury Universities and was recently appointed Professor Emeritus by EIT.  

Although Nat has worked on a range of species and welfare concerns, she has a special interest in equine behaviour and welfare, having published and spoken about equine welfare related topics over the past 25+ years. She co-founded the field of equitation science and the International Society for Equitation Science and is a Hon Fellow and Trustee of the society. In 2022 Nat was invited by the FEI to Chair a new Equine Ethics and Well-Being Commission to address the involvement of horses in sport, and she also completed the development of a white paper (Good Equine Welfare) for Eurogroup for Animal Welfare.   

Lorena Barrantes 

Lorena Barrantes San Román was born and raised in Costa Rica. She is a committed professional with over a decade of experience in social related endeavours, volunteering initiatives, and civil society organisation management. After working pro bono for different social entities Lorena quickly found her calling and has dedicated her career to solidary causes around Latin America in countries such as Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Colombia.  

Lorena is a Regional Coordinator for World Horse Welfare´s International Programme in Central and South America, in what she likes to call ‘the job of her life’.  

Passionate about building capacity through Public Relations, Lorena regularly speaks at conferences, organises events and volunteers with organisations that support different causes. Outside of work, Lorena enjoys reading, photography, the ocean and spending time with her children and pets. 

Birte Broberg

Biography to be confirmed.

Dr Lisa Dickel 

Dr Lisa Dickel is a researcher in ecology and animal welfare at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Her current work focuses on developing innovative welfare concepts and measures specifically for honey bees. 

Dr Dickel obtained her PhD in evolutionary ecology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, where she researched the population dynamics of a wild bird population. Throughout her career, she has studied a diverse array of species, encompassing domesticated and wild animals, as well as captive and free-living populations. 

As a member of the interdisciplinary research network “Cost LIFT”: Lifting Farm Animal Lives – laying the foundations for positive animal welfare, Dr Dickel co-leads working groups that explore themes of choice and agency, alongside an interdisciplinary group to combine multiple perspectives on positive animal welfare. 

In addition to her academic work, she is a dog behavior specialist under the Association of Pet Behavior Counsellors (APBC). She blends her academic knowledge with practical application by running “Tiny Science Chat,” a science communication project engaging animal behavior professionals in discussions surrounding the latest research on animal behavior and welfare. 

Hazel Heaton

Hazel Heaton owns and runs Nine Acres in Norfolk, a reward based training and livery yard. Starting out in the South Norfolk Pony Club she competed in a range of disciplines before focusing on showjumping with her home-produced horse Donnerstorm. After an accident forced his early retirement, Hazel struggled to find a horse that filled his shoes, and she came away from competing – a decision which took her on an unexpected path! 

Hazel has always loved coaching, with a particular interest in understanding and working with challenging horses. In 2011, with her mother Wendy, she established a riding school at Nine Acres, specialising in teaching clients about balance and behaviour. After Wendy’s death in 2013, Hazel launched The Fresh Start Scheme, supporting owners of “problem” horses in an attempt to reduce the number that pass from pillar to post when they fail to meet expectations. Hazel’s passion for horses to live a happier, healthier life led her to looking into different methods of management and training at Nines Acres, something that continues to evolve.

Discussion Panel Chair – Nick Powell 

Nick Powell is a double Royal Television Society (RTS) award winner. Nick is a Sky Sports News presenter and the Sky News Sports Editor. He joined Sky from Yorkshire Television in 1996. 

With his Grand National coverage spanning two decades, Nick has an eye for racing but enjoys most sports. He studied Russian and German at Bradford University before completing a journalism post-grad at Cardiff. 

Peter Laurie  

Peter Laurie has been Chief Executive of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home since 2021. Previously he was the charity’s Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive. Before joining Battersea, Peter led the Greyhound Trust that finds homes for thousands of ex-racing greyhounds each year.  

Peter is a Non-executive Director of the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England, an advisory board to Defra and its ministers, where he holds the companion animal and equine portfolios. In this role, Peter attends regular meetings of the British Horse Council and has developed a keen interest in equine issues. 

Peter has served as the Honorary Secretary of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes since 2013. He was a founding Trustee of the Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation and is a former Trustee of the Petplan Charitable Trust. 

Lucy Grieve MA VetMB MRCVS 

After qualifying as a vet from Cambridge in 2007, Lucy Grieve undertook an internship at Rossdales in Newmarket and then worked in the Thoroughbred industry for several years. After starting a family, she returned to Rossdales as a member of the sports and pleasure horse team.  

During her time in practice, Lucy has served on the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Council for ten years and was elected as President in 2020-2021. In 2022 she left practice to pursue a permanent role at BEVA, as Veterinary Projects Officer. Lucy’s passion is improving equine welfare, which drives her work both within the veterinary industry and across the equestrian world. 

Lucinda Russell  

Lucinda Russell started training in 1995 having previously evented, showjumped, trained point to pointers and been awarded a BSc Hons in Psychology at University of St Andrews. Her ambition and drive has led her training yard to be the leading national hunt yard in Scotland. Lucinda is proud of buying potential winners and producing fit, robust racehorses. On a day-to-day basis she compiles the work list, liaises with the head lads and assistant trainers, keeps in contact with owners and rides out. 

Awarded an OBE she has trained two Aintree Grand National winners and is a passionate believer that racing leads the way in horse welfare.   

Major Dan McRink

Biography to be confirmed.

Tony Tyler

Tony Tyler has spent more than 40 years in the horse industry with extensive experience training horses and riders. 

Tony has worked in riding schools, as a freelance trainer, BHS Chief Examiner, senior college lecturer and has worked for World Horse Welfare since 1999. Starting in the charity as the Norfolk Centre Manager and being promoted twice, he oversees the work of the charity in the UK including the work of the Rescue and Rehoming Centres and Field Officers, educational initiatives and liaising with other charities and organisations.