Three early-career vets – Rosemary Charnley, Jade Urquhart-Gilmore and Leah Hunter – have been announced as the finalists for the prestigious British Veterinary Association (BVA) Young Vet of the Year Award, which is sponsored by Zoetis and celebrates inspirational vets in the first stages of their professional career.
The award judging panel – BVA President Liz Mullineaux, last year’s Young Vet of the Year David Charles, Diagnostics National Veterinary Manager Sophie Duguid from Zoetis and RCVS President Tim Parkin were impressed by all three of the entrants and their hard work, achievements in their careers so far and their dedication and compassion.
BVA’s Young Vet of the Year Finalists 2025
Farm vet Dr Rosemary Charnley MRCVS BSc PgCert, who lives in Maenclochog, Carmarthenshire, is nominated for her proactive and positive approach to working with farmers and championing high standards of animal welfare. Since graduating from the University of Liverpool in 2019 and completing an internship with a large-scale dairy veterinary consultancy in the US, she began practice in South Wales, where she now works with The Cattle Vet. With her partner, Rosemary has also begun dairy farming herself, giving her an even greater understanding into the challenges her clients have and greater desire to explore how she can best support them. This has included completing a Master’s degree in cattle nutrition after identifying a need for supporting local farmers with nutritional advice. Four years ago, she founded a multi-practice young vet social group that now includes 20 members from six practices, all of whom help to support other early-career vets settle and make lasting friendships.
Responding to her nomination, Rosemary said: “It is a humbling experience to be nominated for this award. I would never have imagined that I would get a call to say I was one of the final three. I hope I can be a positive example to all, not only within our varied veterinary profession but also the industries we support.”
Small animal vet Dr. Jade Urquhart-Gilmore BSc BVetMed MRCVS is nominated for her exceptional care for her patients, clients and colleagues. After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 2021, Jade worked in two small animal first opinion practices before joining Crofts Veterinary Practice in Haslemere, Surrey as lead vet.
Since joining the practice, she has worked to help improve communication and strengthen the links between the clinical and client care teams, started regular case reflections to enable the team to share knowledge about cases and CPD, and taken steps to ensure all team members feel valued and listened to. She is also currently studying for a Master’s degree in clinical animal behaviour. Outside of clinical work, Jade is interested in sustainability and the value of inclusivity. She talks very openly about the challenges and strengths that being neurodivergent and having chronic illness and disability bring to her work.
Jade said: “I’m honoured to be nominated for this award and delighted to be named a finalist. Congratulations to my fellow finalists and all the deserving nominees! Becoming a vet has been a lifelong dream for me. I love my job and my brilliant team and strive to deliver the best for my patients, clients and team members. I’m a passionate advocate for inclusivity and sustainability within our profession and hope to continue championing these in all my work in the future.”
Dr. Leah Hunter is nominated for her extraordinary dedication, compassion, and professionalism in all aspects of her work, both in practice and outside it. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 2021, Leah began working as a mixed practice vet at Flett and Carmichael Veterinary Surgeons in Orkney. She has developed a particular interest in small animal dentistry, regenerative farming and sustainability in practice and is passionate about nature and conservation. She is involved with multiple charities outside of work, becoming an Orkney Nature Festival trustee, a British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) medic and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme volunteer. She has also been involved in providing first aid to stranded whales and dolphins and assisting in their refloatation or euthanasia when the animals can’t be refloated due to illness.
Leah said: “I am honoured and humbled to have been named as one of the finalists for this award. I feel very lucky to have found a job in a beautiful part of the world within such a caring practice in a lovely community. I will forever be grateful to my colleagues at Flett and Carmichael for their knowledge, support and care in the first four years of my career. Being a mixed vet in a remote area can result in some interesting challenges and experiences, which is one of the things I love about island vetting. Outside of my day job, I love being a trustee for the Orkney Nature Festival and volunteering as a medic with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, working with seal pups requiring emergency care before they head to rehab. This type of volunteering is something we as vets are in a unique position to do and I would whole-heartedly recommend it because it is so rewarding.”
On behalf of the judges, BVA President Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “The last few years have been testing for the veterinary profession, with intense media and public scrutiny and the demand for vet care going up following a rise in pet ownership. But despite the additional pressure, on top of what is, at times, a challenging job day-to-day anyway, it is heartening to see the compassion and dedication shown by these young vets. We are proud to be able to shine a light on their achievements and commitment and look forward to announcing the winner at our awards in October.”
Oya Canbas, Vice President and General Manager UK at sponsor Zoetis, said: “The veterinary profession is evolving, and it is a great pleasure to see how young veterinarians are contributing to this transformation. This year’s Young Vet of the Year Award finalists all support in their own passionate way the growth and development of this fulfilling profession and the improvement of animal care. We are proud to support the recognition of their outstanding contributions together with BVA.”
The winner will be announced on Thursday 16 October 2025 at the BVA Awards, held at BVA’s headquarters in Mansfield Street, London, where they will receive a prize package which includes £1,000, a year of free BVA membership, and mentoring and engagement opportunities with Zoetis.
