ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Brian Garish started at 16, stocking shelves and mopping floors at a Walgreens in Indianapolis. He was not thinking about a career. He just wanted financial independence from his parents. Decades later, he is the Global Chief Client Officer for Mars Veterinary Health, overseeing more than 3,000 hospitals and 70,000 associates across the globe.
The through line from then to now is not a title or an org chart. It is three things he learned early: the power of mentorship, the irreplaceable value of front-line experience, and what it actually takes to build a culture worth being part of.
In this conversation with Deborah Fell, Brian unpacks what those lessons look like at scale. He talks about what happens when a leader moves faster than the team can keep up, how he gave a team member the power to hold him accountable, and why a 360 review is not something to survive but something to act on.
He shares a straightforward conviction: the best strategy in the world means nothing without people who believe in it and have the conditions to execute it. And those conditions are built or broken by the leaders closest to the work, not by the people at the top of the org chart.
Mars Veterinary Health is part of Mars Incorporated, which operates Banfield Pet Hospital, VCA, Blue Pearl, and emergency and specialty veterinary care across more than 30 countries. Brian has visited hospitals in all of them, and his first priority every time is to go talk to the person answering the phone at the front desk.
If your company creates narratives to explain why results are not what they should be, this episode will make you think differently about where that explanation actually starts.
BRIAN GARISH – CHIEF CLIENT OFFICER, GLOBAL MARS VETERINARY HEALTH
As Global Chief Client Officer, Brian leads client-facing functions across Mars Veterinary Health, including global strategic marketing, demand generation, hospital real estate and facilities management, business development, customer contact call center, and the Rapid Growth Markets (RGM) region. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, including his leadership roles as President of Banfield and President of Mars Veterinary Health International, Brian brings both a global lens and deep understanding of the veterinary care business to the MVH Global Leadership Team.
LinkedIn URL - linkedin.com/in/briangarish
Mars Veterinary Health is a global division of Mars Petcare dedicated to delivering high-quality pet healthcare in service of its Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. The Mars Veterinary Health family of businesses—including AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospital, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Linnaeus, Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group, VCA Animal Hospitals, VES Singapore, VSH Hong Kong, Tai Wai Animal Hospital, and others—includes more than 70,000 Associates across North America, Europe, and Asia who demonstrate compassion and expertise in caring for over 10 million pets each year. As part of a family-owned business with 90 years of experience caring for pets—including more than 30 years in veterinary services—Mars Veterinary Health makes long-term investments to support its Associates and contribute to the future of veterinary medicine through clinical excellence across its connected care network. Learn more at marsveterinary.com.
