Roxane Feller gained over 20 years of experience in various EU-based associations. She is a trained lawyer who studied in both Switzerland and the United States and is a mother of three wonderful boys. In March 215, Roxane took on the role of Secretary General of AnimalhealthEurope – a trade association that represents the manufacturers of animal medicines in Europe.
In her role as Secretary General, Roxane leads a team of ten colleagues and is responsible for promoting the societal benefits of animal health and welfare, as well as advocating for the responsible use of animal medicines to ensure a sustainable food supply.
She works closely with diverse stakeholders across the animal health and welfare sector, including veterinarians, farmers, regulators, and policymakers, to represent the industry’s interests and ensure that their products continue to make a positive impact on society.
Roxane is deeply committed to communicating the positive role that healthy animals have on the health of people and our environment.
What inspired you to work in the international association sector? Would you recommend this career to others?
I am passionate about Europe, and all topics related to the farming sector. I also have an interest in international trade aspects of products such as food and veterinary medicines.
I would recommend this career to anyone who is eager to play a (modest) role in contributing to the consolidation of the European Union and a well-functioning society in general. However, if you are not a “people person”, if you do want listen and find common solutions, and if you do not truly enjoy meeting new people with different ideas and backgrounds, I’d advise you not to work in an international association.
How does your association #EmbraceEquity?
If embracing equity means promoting fairness, justice, and equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic, I can safely say that AnimalhealthEurope under my leadership has lived up to these values.
What initiatives, projects and ideas can you share that help other understand the real value of DEI?
Here are just a few examples of how AnimalhealthEurope has embraced equity:
- Team diversity and inclusion: AnimalhealthEurope has fostered a diverse and inclusive workplace by having recruited and retained employees from diverse backgrounds, providing training and resources to promote understanding and acceptance of different perspectives, and creating a culture that celebrates diversity. Our team of ten is quite balanced, with 4 men and 6 women, stemming from 6 European nationalities and 1 non-European). The ages range from 25 to 64 and each of us has a different background (social and scholastic). We work in harmony, with mutual respect, and in line with the EU motto “united in diversity”.
- Access and opportunity: I have strived to provide equal access and opportunities to my staff – for instance by ensuring that job postings and hiring processes are transparent and by offering training and advancement opportunities to all. We dedicate 10% of our total budget to continuous training.
- Social responsibility: when I arrived, there were big discrepancies in salaries between men and women and between employees of comparable experience and expertise. I made sure to quickly address these inequities within the organization. Today, we have a harmonized system that allows employees to see more clearly how they can advance in the association and what advantages are linked to a promotion.
- Transparency and accountability: I am transparent about our efforts to promote equity by regularly sharing information on the diversity of our workforce.