2023 Iron Paw Award Recipient
The Animal Health Corridor is thrilled to announce the 2023 Iron Paw Award Recipient is Dr. Fabian Kausche
Fabian Kausche, M.S., Dr.med.vet.
Dr. Fabian Kausche has a long and wide spanning career in animal health research and development, as well as in human health R&D for non-prescription products. He has held subsequent positions as the Global Head of Research and Development for Novartis, Merial and Boehringer Ingelheim where he led the post-merger integration of the then largest R&D organization in the Animal Health industry with more than 1,200 scientists and support staff. He also spent several years leading the companion animal sales force for Novartis Animal Health.
Born and raised in Germany, where he completed his first veterinary degree, followed by a Master of Science in Veterinary Pathology at Iowa State University. After his return to Germany, he obtained the German equivalent of a Ph.D. in a combination program between the Hannover Medical and Veterinary schools. Having completed the Advanced Management Program, he’s also an alumnus of Harvard Business School.
Dr. Kausche began his career in animal health research and development, working in a clinical and regulatory role all over Western Europe for The Upjohn Company. In 1997, he and his family relocated to Kalamazoo, MI, then the headquarters of Pharmacia and Upjohn. He quickly grew in his roles, eventually joining Novartis Animal Health where he took on the leadership position as the global head of research and development for the animal health subsidiary. Dr. Kausche's knowledge and leadership skills in innovation were sought out by Novartis’s human health OTC research and development organization, and he transitioned into the human health sphere where he stayed for several years before returning to Animal Health. He subsequently led the animal health US companion animal sales force for Novartis, truly enjoying the transition from research and development to the field. In 2014 he joined Merial as their global head of R&D and was eventually a core participant in the merger with Boehringer Ingelheim. Throughout his career, Dr. Kausche's passion for product innovation, attention to detail, and intrinsic understanding of animal wellness and care have driven his success, but his focus has also always been on employees and organizational health emphasizing and driving culture, diversity and inclusion and transparency.
Dr. Kausche's accomplishments are not limited to his career advancements. A core theme in his career has been his passion for coaching and mentoring the next generation. He has served on the diversity and inclusion councils of Novartis Animal Health, Merial and Boehringer Ingelheim and continues to support and mentor individuals in the industry and beyond.
Although he technically celebrated his retirement in 2019, Dr. Kausche started FK Consulting, LLC, a company located in Atlanta, GA, specializing in supporting animal health companies and startups in product innovation strategies. He also regularly engages and provides his expertise with investors interested in the animal health industry.
Alongside his Consulting business, Dr. Kausche is a member of the boards of directors of Sequent Scientific/Alivira in Mumbai, India and PetFlavors in Florida. He is also Chairman of the Board of PetMedix, a start-up company in Cambridge, UK, which develops monoclonal antibodies for companion animals using transgenic mice, and works as scientific advisor for Rejuvenate Bio, a California-based startup that develops gene therapies for companion animals and humans and Novobind, a startup in Vancouver, Canada that develops nanobody-based products for production animals. In 2020 he joined the board of trustees of GALVmed, UK-based charity that works to improve in the well-being and economic progression of small-scale livestock producers in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. He also recently accepted an advisory role for the Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine at the Royal Veterinary College in London.
When he's not working, Dr. Kausche enjoys spending time with his family, cooking delicious meals for his wife and daughters, helping his youngest daughter care for her two dogs and dressage horses, advising his eldest as she advances in her engineering career, or cycling, often on long routes between Atlanta and Alabama.
His youngest daughter, Ines, shared this brief statement about her father’s many successes:
“So many people look up to my dad and see him as this unstoppable force, but my favorite thing about him is that he’s more than a successful veterinarian. In fact, I never considered him a businessman first. To me, he’s the funny, charismatic, occasionally overbearing father, who pushes me to succeed but also knows how to make me laugh hysterically, and who never backs down from a battle of wits.
Whenever I meet people who have worked with my father and admire him, I always think to myself “That Fabian Kausche? The one who wears Lycra cycling kits and flicks ice cream at me on the weekends? Are you sure?” But I think his dynamic personality and determination to be a father first and a career man second are part of what make him so admirable…Even if his dad jokes aren’t as funny as he thinks they are.”