Hillary Van Der Zee is a Board member with Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord U.S.
Hillary van der Zee is a proven strategic marketing and brand executive with over 18 years of global expertise in consumer messaging, brand positioning, and omnichannel marketing. With a deep-rooted passion for pets and the dedicated professionals who care for them, Hillary has made it her mission to create impactful solutions that improve the lives of animals and their caregivers. Her leadership spans industries such as pet healthcare, consumer goods, and the beer beverages industry, where she has successfully launched more than 250 consumer-facing products and driven long-range planning and innovation strategies.
Hillary’s experience includes leading marketing for multi-billion-dollar organizations, such as Thrive Pet Healthcare and the KONG Company, where she combined strategic vision with purpose-driven execution. In addition to her experience within the pet industry, she has led innovation on large scale brands at MillerCoors on the Coors Light brand while planting the seeds of growth for the now #2 craft brand in the United States, Blue Moon Brewing Company. No matter the lane of marketing service, she has championed messaging that connects with pet owners and consumers on a deeply emotional level, delivering measurable results while reinforcing the vital role that key brands and pets play in our lives.
As a dedicated volunteer, Hillary has contributed her expertise to community organizations including the United States Pony Club, Bayou Gulch Horse Trials, and the Food Bank of the Rockies. Should the opportunity arise, she would look forward to being able to use her abilities to inspire collaboration, lead with empathy, and activate transformative strategies positions as a contribution to the mission-driven work of Veterinarians Without Borders.
Written by Janine Mitchell, Executive Director of VWB, in recognition of One Health Day (November 3), this article draws on the FAO Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems and the VSF International General Assembly to explore what it takes to turn One Health commitments into action—from building equitable partnerships and strengthening collaboration to ensuring practical systems and accountability.
On September 30, VWB joins Canadians in marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. We reflect on the importance of listening, learning, and respectful relationships in our work alongside Indigenous communities in northern Canada, and share resources for continued learning.
Watch a replay of our World Rabies Day 2026 webinar, which brought together perspectives from Alaska, Ukraine, and Laos to explore why rabies persists despite being preventable — and what stronger access, local capacity, coordination, and resilient animal and human health systems can contribute to progress toward ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
