Doug Poindexter, president of World Pet Association (WPA), has announced that he will retire after 27 years with the organisation.
The announcement was first made on July 25 onsite at SuperZoo, North America’s premier pet industry trade show, via the SuperZoo Show Daily publication.
In recognition of Poindexter’s status as the longest-serving executive in WPA history and his contributions to the organisation and to the pet industry as a whole, the WPA Board awarded him with WPA’s highest honour, the Matsui Award. The award is named after former Board president, Jiro Matsui, and is presented to honour lifetime contributions to the pet industry.
“Doug is known internationally in the pet industry and was chosen for his achievements and contributions to the industry over his approximately 40 years working in it,” said board chairman, Michael Twain.
“His vision, creativity, hard work, and leadership have played a role or directly resulted in many of the iconic pillars of the industry today. Examples are WPA’s four trade shows of 377,832 total square feet, 1,772 exhibitors, and 73,084 attendees annually. His expert knowledge on live animal issues, supply chain, and pet industry service sectors has been indispensable on legislative guidance as well as creating policies and direction.”
Poindexter will remain at the helm of WPA until the end of December and will serve in an as-needed capacity moving forward. While a replacement has not yet been identified, WPA is currently conducting a widespread search and anticipates announcing a successor in the autumn.
