Dr. Ivan Zak is a veterinarian, entrepreneur, and a passionate advocate for the well-being of veterinary professionals. After graduating from the Atlantic Veterinary College, he worked in various settings across Canada, from emergency to general practice.
After spending 12 years in veterinary medicine and experiencing severe burnout, Ivan shifted his focus to developing products that help veterinary teams work better.
In 2012, he started his first company, Smart Flow, which was the first workflow optimization system in the industry. Smart Flow was later bought by IDEXX, a Fortune 500 company, where Ivan became General Manager of the software division. He went on to consult with over 650 practices worldwide about workflow optimization before deciding to start something new.
In 2019, Dr. Zak started Veterinary Integration Solutions, a consulting company for veterinary consolidators.
In 2021, he launched Galaxy Vets, an employee-owned veterinary healthcare system focused on preventing burnout. During this time, Ivan also earned an MBA in International Healthcare Management, writing his thesis on how Lean Thinking can improve the employee experience. He continues to study burnout each year to better understand what affects veterinary well-being.