Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Prevention Redefining Animal Health: The industry has shifted decisively from treatment to prevention, particularly through vaccination and reduced antibiotic use.
- Pets as a Strategic Growth Engine: Companion animals have become central to the sector, driven by changing societal attitudes and increased focus on preventive care.
- Balanced Growth Across Species and Markets: Strong performance spans pets and livestock, supported by Mexico’s role as a key animal protein producer.
- Customer-Centric, Value-Based Execution: Long-term relationships, education, and expertise are core differentiators across both pet and livestock segments.
- Technology and AI as Enablers: AI is increasingly embedded in research, decision-making, and commercial execution, accelerating insight and impact.
- One Health as a Sustainability Imperative: Animal health plays a critical role in food security, environmental efficiency, and mental well-being through human–animal bonds.
EF: As you step into the region’s interim presidency of Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean, while continuing as Animal Health General Director, what are your top priorities, particularly regarding the company’s “One Health” approach?
One Health is a strategic concept for Boehringer Ingelheim. For us, the health of humans and animals is inseparable. A clear illustration of this is that Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the few companies worldwide operating in both Human Pharma and Animal Health. I would like to highlight 3 key aspects of the One Health approach.
First, it underlines the importance of preventing zoonosis, animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans, such as rabies, an infectious disease that kills thousands of people, especially children, every year. At Boehringer, we are proud to support the vaccination of millions of animals worldwide and, through this, help protect human lives, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable regions.
Second, One Health promotes the responsible use of antimicrobials and a coordinated approach between human and animal health to address a critical challenge: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It is estimated that AMR has caused around 39 million deaths worldwide in the last 25 years, which is deeply concerning.
Third, food safety and food security are essential pillars of One Health. As the global population grows, it is crucial to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. This depends on robust standards of animal production and welfare.
At Boehringer Ingelheim, these One Health principles are at the core of our daily work and long-term strategy and make us proud to have such a contribution to the life of Humans and Animals.
EF: Based on your global experience across different markets, what are two major achievements in the animal health segment over the past ten years, and what is one key objective we should prioritize for the next five years?
TT: I joined the industry 19 years ago and am a veterinarian by training. Over the past decade, two main trends have clearly emerged.
First, in livestock, there has been a strong, sustained drive to reduce the use of antibiotics, which is now a priority for most countries, and a central concern for consumers, given its link to animal protein and food safety. The sector has shifted from treatment to prevention, particularly through vaccination. This has been the most significant development in livestock in recent years.
Second, the pet sector has expanded considerably worldwide. When I started, pets were not the main focus for most companies, which concentrated on ruminants or poultry. Today, among leading multinationals, it is by far the most important, representing more than half of their revenue.
This growth accelerated after COVID, driven both by a rising pet population and by owners’ willingness to invest in disease prevention. Pets are now widely regarded as family members.
Looking ahead five years, one aspect remains clear: companies are investing heavily in innovation. The gap between human pharma and animal health R&D is narrowing, and breakthroughs in human medicine now reach animal health almost in parallel, particularly in the pet segment, where most companies are concentrating their efforts.
At the same time, livestock remains essential. The animal health industry is becoming a key stakeholder in protecting animal welfare, ensuring safer and more abundant protein.
We must now accelerate our mission to help feed the world. Working in the pharmaceutical industry, I feel privileged to contribute because we help put high-quality animal protein on the tables of millions of families.
EF: Could you elaborate on the current strategic importance of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health for your region? Particularly, how does your region contribute to Boehringer Animal Health’s growth, and what key products are you planning to launch?
TT: Over the past three consecutive years, we have achieved double-digit growth. Thanks to this sustained performance, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean have risen in the global ranking of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health’s most important regions. A particular positive aspect is that this growth spans across different segments, species, and geographies. It is not only Mexico, but also Central America and the Caribbean, that have played a crucial role for us.
Within this overall trend, growth in the pet segment stands out as the most significant, as it represents the largest share of our business and is the fastest-growing area in the industry. At the same time, it is very encouraging to see solid progress in our livestock business.
Mexico is a major global player in animal protein production. It ranks among the world’s top countries in poultry and egg production, is an important contributor in ruminants, and remains a relevant producer in swine. Sustaining double-digit growth underscores our increasing importance to Boehringer at a global level. It is both an important responsibility and a clear recognition of the efforts we have made in recent years.
EF: What would you attribute the double-digit growth to?
TT: There are many factors behind our success, but above all, it is the mindset we have at Boehringer in Mexico. The customer is our top priority. We are focused on building long-term, sustainable relationships, which is why we are proud to be market leaders in several segments. Delivering value is essential, especially when we work with large customers across different sectors.
On the pet side, the language is also evolving. The term “pet owner” is being replaced by “pet parent”, which reflects how people truly feel.
In livestock, the value we deliver to our customers comes mainly from innovation and high-quality products; in pets, it also comes from communication and education. Our goal is to raise awareness about the importance of regular visits to veterinary clinics and preventive care, especially vaccination and antiparasitic treatments. This creates strong momentum, even in countries where families may have limited budgets for their pets.
EF: How do you manage that growth, and how do you prepare to sustain it while continuing to meet expectations?
TT: Our growth is mainly organic: we are not driven by entirely new products, but by expanding the market itself.
This begins with rigorous market analysis and clear opportunity identification. In pets, much of our progress comes from market development. By educating pet parents about disease prevention and effective parasite control, we help them see that prevention avoids many problems and is usually far less costly than treatment.
In livestock, growth is driven by the value we provide. Customers know they are buying more than a high-quality product from a German pharmaceutical company. They are also investing in our expertise, support, and people. This approach also reflects how I like to manage my teams.
To achieve double-digit growth, this ambition has to be a shared mindset, not the goal of a single person. If it is not a collective objective, we will not reach it.
I am honoured to work with an exceptional team here in Mexico. Their professionalism makes everything much easier.
EF: How do you envision the incorporation of technology, particularly AI, into the animal health industry?
TT: Innovation is in Boehringer’s DNA. As a family-owned company, we continue to invest heavily in it, guided by the family’s vision of long-term sustainability.
The world is moving so fast that, without innovation, we risk falling behind. In animal health, Boehringer is likely among the companies investing the most in this area. Artificial intelligence is now becoming part of our toolkit, especially at the corporate level and in R&D.
On the commercial side, AI is becoming a standard resource. In market research and communication, it helps us process large volumes of information and distil it into clear, actionable insights for our teams. This is essential, as many of our colleagues work in the field and need concise, easy-to-understand data. The progress in just the last six months has been remarkable.
As a veterinarian, I also see the impact of AI on pet care. Twenty years ago, we talked about “Dr. Google,” when pet parents arrived at the clinic convinced that they had already diagnosed their pet, making client education crucial. Today, AI can amplify that education role and serve as an excellent tool when used responsibly. At the same time, some human tasks cannot and should not be replaced by AI. Its purpose is to help us make faster decisions, accelerate key processes, and strengthen the support we provide.
EF: Imagine you are speaking at Davos, representing the One Health conversation. What would you say? How would you address the audience about the importance of the One Health approach for the future of humanity, including the perspective from your region?
TT: Boehringer Ingelheim brings its human and animal health businesses together under one roof. Our work strengthens the connection between human, animal, and environmental health through initiatives such as our efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, the STOP Rabies program, and our focus on prevention over treatment in livestock, which supports more sustainable food production. We are actively exploring the parallels between human and animal health and systematically integrating sustainable development into our business strategy. Many of our Sustainable Development – For Generations initiatives are designed to deliver positive health outcomes for people, animals, and the environment. So, I would focus on two main messages.
First, animal health is one of the main pillars of sustainability. We usually think only of the environmental dimension, but there are also social and economic pillars. Animal health is central to all.
The global population is growing, while our resources are becoming more limited. We have less land, less water, and less space to produce food, particularly animal protein. We must take this seriously. Millions of people wake up every day unsure if they will have even one meal.
In this context, the contribution of animal health to sustainability is enormous. Sustainability is not a romantic picture of a cow in the Swiss Alps; it is about using fewer natural resources and producing animal protein with lower carbon emissions.
That is part of why the animal health industry can become an easy target. Many people lack an accurate understanding and criticize the intensification of production, even though it is necessary. Without more efficient, modern systems, we could not guarantee sufficient animal protein for a growing population. Innovation in recent years, especially from pharmaceutical companies that develop products to prevent diseases and outbreaks, has been indispensable.
Consider one example. In many countries, veterinarians helped design strategies to control COVID-19 because they are experienced in managing outbreaks, especially in poultry, swine, and avian influenza. This highlights the importance of One Health and the value of veterinary expertise.
The second message I would share at Davos is about companionship. Pets are powerful contributors to mental health. During 2020 and 2021, at the peak of the pandemic, the number of pets increased globally because many people were living alone.
One Health is often associated only with infectious diseases, but mental health is becoming increasingly important. Dogs, for example, contribute massively to emotional well-being. I feel very honoured to work in an industry that both helps put food on people’s tables and supports the mental health of millions around the globe.
