CIEH Animal Welfare Conference

Andy Newnham, Senior Animal Welfare Officer, London Borough of Hounslow. Andy is the London Borough of Hounslow’s Senior Animal Welfare Officer. He is known for proactively tackling complex animal welfare cases, and specialises in the investigation of unlicensed breeding and illegal ear cropping taking place in the UK. Andy shares this expertise in multi-agency working groups and professional panels, and addresses the fragmentation in enforcement by actively supporting not just his own team development, but also other local authorities officers, offering active roles on live enforcement jobs and warrant executions, and giving them access to experienced mentoring, unique hands on training, and guidance in the field. 

Charlotte Williams, Environmental Health and Licensing Technical Officer, Colchester City Council. Charlotte has been responsible for Animal Licensing for Colchester City Council for the last 2 years or so, working within the Food and Safety team. Charlotte is currently inspecting for East Hertfordshire Council.  Where she sit as a co-chair of the Essex Animal Welfare Forum and East of England Forum that reports into the NCEAWP. Charlotte has a passion for raising awareness of animal licencing as far as possible which holds reason to her involvement in ‘Paws on the Doors’. 

Professor Dan O'Neill, Professor of Companion Animal Epidemiology, RVC. MVB BSc(hons) GPCert(SAP) GPCert(FelP) GPCert(Derm) GPCert(B&PS) PGCertVetEd FHEA MSc(VetEpi) PhD FRCVS. With 22 years in general veterinary practice and 15 years in academia, and 185 peer-reviewed papers, Dan co-leads the RVC VetCompass™ Programme. He has co-authored the books ‘Breed Predispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats’ and ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-faced) Companion Animals’. He is a founding member of Brachycephalic Working Group, Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs and International Collaborative on Extreme Conformation in Dogs. His awards include an RCVS Fellowship, BSAVA Blaine Award for Advancement of Small Animal Science, KCCT International Canine Health Award, APDAWG ‘Phillippa Robinson Dog Welfare Award’ and RCVS Impact Award.

Georgia O’Brien, Animal Welfare Officer, London Borough of Hounslow. Georgia joined the London Borough of Hounslow in July 2024, bringing valuable experience from her RSPCA background. She quickly established herself in the role, executing her first Animal Welfare Act search warrant in August 2025 after developing intelligence on a complex case of unlicensed dog breeding and coordinating a multi‑agency animal rescue. Georgia has managed numerous compliance interventions, focusing on early engagement, and improvement notices to raise welfare standards across the borough. Her early‑career impact was recognised nationally in the 2025 RSPCA PawPrints Awards, where she received a Highly Commended Special Recognition.

Lee Gingell has served as the RSPCA Public Affairs Manager (Local Government) since 2021. He manages the RSPCA’s relationships with the local public sector, including local authorities, housing providers, police forces, and NHS providers. His focus is on promoting collaborative efforts to create a world where all animals are treated with respect, kindness, and compassion. Lee also oversees the RSPCA's PawPrints awards, which recognise and celebrate local public sector bodies that not only meet but exceed legal minimums. The areas of recognition include various aspects such as stray dog services, animal licensing, housing, contingency planning, and kennelling.

Dr Maggie Roberts BVM&S MRCVS, Advovet Consultancy Services. Maggie Roberts graduated from Edinburgh University in 1986 and spent her early career in veterinary practice, where she developed an interest in feline medicine.  She was appointed the first Cats Protection Veterinary Officer in 1997. After returning to private practice as a partner she rejoined Cats Protection in 2006 as Director of Veterinary Services with responsibility for the charity’s work on veterinary services, neutering, research, advocacy and education.

She co-founded the Shelter and Charity Veterinary Association and co-edited the BSAVA Manual of Shelter Medicine.

Maggie has recently set up Advovet Consultancy Services to improve standards in companion animal charities.

Marisa Heath, Director, APGAW. Marisa is the director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare and has authored several reports including A Healthier Future for Pedigree Dogs and The Four Stages to Effective Animal Welfare Enforcement. She has worked on several pieces of legislation from Animal Sentience, Ban on Live Exports and Licensing of Activities Involving Animals and has been a member of DEFRA expert panels. Marisa also runs the Canine and Feline Sector Group advising Government directly and the Local Government Animal Welfare Group as well as several other organisations working around animal welfare, farming and land management. She has over 20 years experience across local government as an elected member.

Ruairidh Nichols, Public Affairs Manager, Dofs Trust. Ruairidh Nichols has worked in the Public Affairs team at Dogs Trust since 2024. Ruairidh has successfully campaigned for meaningful improvements to animal welfare legislation across the UK, including calling for increased access to pet-friendly housing, better protections against dog theft and improved firework regulations. His team’s work to improve the pet-friendly provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Bill was recently shortlisted for an award by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA). In collaboration with the RSPCA, Ruairidh has turned his focus to the theme of Responsible Dog Ownership and is advocating for a new approach which he hopes will better serve people, dogs and the wider community for years to come.

Sharon Edwards, Senior Consultant Animal Health Inspector, City of London Animal Health & Welfare Services.  With a family background in Dairy Farming and the equine industry, Sharon joined the City of London’s Heathrow Animal Reception Centre in 1987, specialising in the import of both domestic and exotic species. In 2004, after qualifying in Animal Health and Legal Practices through the Chartered Trading Standards Institute she transferred to the City of London’s Animal Health & Welfare Services Team contracting both legal and husbandry Animal Health expertise to Local Authorities carrying both farm and companion animal licence inspections. Sharon is currently Chair of the Local Government Animal Welfare Group, and represents local authorities on CFSG (Canine Feline Sector Group) and CASC (Companion Animal Sector Group). Sharon delivers Animal Activity licence training across England, Scotland and Wales. In England and Wales delivering an Ofqual level 3 qualification for suitably qualified officers under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England) Regulations 2018 and the Welsh equivalent.

Vanessa Barnes, Legal Advisor, APGAW. Vanessa is a lawyer by profession and spent her early career in private practice as a solicitor.  In addition to her undergraduate degree, she holds a master's degree in law and a Post Graduate Diploma in Animal Welfare Science, Policy and Legislation.  Vanessa currently works on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare (APGAW) as their Legal Advisor and is leading APGAW’s review of dog breeding regulation in the UK. She is also a member of the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs and a member of DAERA’s Expert Advisory Panel on the review of dog breeding regulations in Northern Ireland.