Paws, passion and profit: alumni shaping the pet industry

From dog walking and pet wellness to product innovation and global business strategy, the pet industry is evolving rapidly, driven by changing consumer expectations, advances in technology and a growing focus on animal health and well-being. What was once seen primarily as a retail category has become a dynamic sector spanning nutrition, manufacturing, data, healthcare, services and lifestyle.

QUT alumni are helping lead that transformation. Across Australia and around the world, graduates are building businesses, scaling high-growth brands, developing innovative products and re-imagining what it means to care for our companion animals. Their careers demonstrate that the future of the pet industry is being shaped not just by a love of animals, but by entrepreneurship, operational excellence, technology and evidence-based innovation.

From the local dog park to international markets, their insights reveal a common theme: the most successful organisations in the pet industry are moving beyond products to create meaningful outcomes for pets and their owners. Whether through trusted customer relationships, data-driven operations, evidence-based nutrition or thoughtfully designed products, their stories offer valuable lessons in leadership, innovation and growth, proving that one of the world's fastest-growing industries is also one of its most human.

Angus Healy

Founder, Happy Paws by Angus

What started as a Year 8 student’s simple idea to earn some extra pocket money has grown into a thriving business, a completed degree and a clear ambition to make a difference. Angus Healy founded Happy Paws by Angus from his love of dogs and has spent the years since building not only a successful dog-walking business, but also valuable skills in entrepreneurship, communication and leadership.

You’ve grown Happy Paws while studying at QUT. What has running a business taught you that you couldn’t have learned in a classroom?

Running a business teaches you very quickly that there isn't always a textbook answer. You learn how to work with customers, manage finances, solve unexpected problems and take responsibility for the outcome. The biggest lesson has been consistency. It's easy to be excited by a new idea, but building something sustainable comes from turning up every week, looking after your customers and continuing to improve. It's also taught me resilience. Running a small business means experiencing successes and setbacks side by side, and learning not to let either define the bigger picture.

Social media has clearly played a role in telling the Happy Paws story. What have you learned about building a brand and connecting with an audience?

I've learned that people connect with people before they connect with businesses. Social media gave me a way to show the personality behind Happy Paws. Instead of simply posting that we'd walked six dogs, I could introduce the dogs, celebrate their birthdays and share what a typical day looks like. Authenticity matters more than perfection. Often the content that performs best is simple, genuine and relatable. Building a brand is really about earning trust over time by consistently showing people who you are and what you stand for. For Happy Paws, that's especially important because people are trusting me with a member of their family.

Cheeky question for the dog lovers in the room — where are your top five favourite places to take a dog in Brisbane?

This is a difficult one because Brisbane has so many great spots! I think one of the best things about Brisbane is that you don't have to go far to find somewhere new to explore with your dog. My top five would be:

1. New Farm Park: an obvious favourite, but for good reason. It's a great place for dogs and people, and the riverside setting is hard to beat.
2. Kedron Brook: perfect for exploring and getting some exercise.
3. Nudgee Beach: especially when you want somewhere different and the dogs can enjoy a good adventure.
4. Victoria Park: there's plenty of open space and it's a great place to get out and about.
5. South Bank: more for a relaxed outing and exploring the area than a big dog walk.

Angus Healy completed a Bachelor of Communication. Find out more about his career journey by reading his Alumni Spotlight article.

Gui Meirelles Silva

Operations Director, Australian pet wellness company Lyka

Reinvention has been a constant throughout Gui’s career. After more than six years in the oil and gas industry across Latin America, a downturn prompted him to rethink his direction and pursue a Master of Engineering Management at QUT. Today, as Operations Director at Australian pet wellness company Lyka, Gui draws on his engineering foundations to lead manufacturing, embrace emerging technology and help scale one of Australia's fastest-growing pet brands.

Can you tell us about Lyka and your role there?

Lyka is an Australian pet wellness company improving pet health and longevity through nutrition. I lead manufacturing operations, working across research and development, strategy, supply chain, finance, data, food safety and engineering to turn growth strategy into scalable operational capability.

My role connects strategy and execution by building the capacity, systems, technology and teams needed to scale safely and efficiently. This includes improving manufacturing performance and asset reliability, introducing new processes, scaling products, consolidating operations, and supporting Lyka’s expansion into Brazil. Ultimately, I focus on building sustainable operations that maintain safety, quality, customer experience and performance as the business grows.

Lyka has experienced significant growth and was ranked sixth on LinkedIn’s 2023 Top Startups in Australia. What does it take operationally to scale a fast-growing business while maintaining quality?

One of the biggest lessons I've learned at Lyka is that scaling is very different from simply increasing production. If operational systems don’t mature alongside the business, complexity can grow faster than the organisation. For me, sustainable scaling is built around standardisation, visibility, accountability and recognition.

As volumes increase, processes, training, food safety, traceability and risk management need to become stronger, not weaker.
Accountability and recognition go hand in hand. People should understand what they own while knowing that good performance and the right behaviours will be recognised. Ultimately, successful scaling means building systems that prevent complexity from growing at the same rate as the business

Innovation is a big part of Lyka’s approach to manufacturing, including the use of technology and predictive maintenance. How do you see technology changing the future of manufacturing and supply chains?

I see manufacturing moving from reactive and time-based decisions towards condition-based and data-driven decision-making.
Condition-Based monitoring, combined with artificial intelligence (AI), can help us understand the actual health of equipment, identify abnormal patterns earlier and support better maintenance decisions. The same principle can be applied across production, quality, inventory, demand, labour and supply chains.

However, technology should augment people rather than replace engineering judgement. AI cannot compensate for weak processes, unclear standards or poor accountability. The strongest organisations will combine technology with solid engineering principles, disciplined processes and capable people.

Gui Meirelles Silva completed a Master of Engineering Management. Find out more about his career journey by reading his Alumni Spotlight article.

Ben Lyttle

Co-Founder + President of The Result

Curiosity, innovation and a willingness to challenge assumptions have been at the heart of Ben Lyttle's career. A respected leader across the consumer goods and pet care sectors, Ben has spent nearly two decades helping businesses uncover opportunities, build meaningful brands and deliver better outcomes for consumers and their pets.

The pet industry has become one of the fastest-growing consumer sectors globally. From a business perspective, what opportunities do you see driving this growth?

Pet is moving from a feeding economy to a petspan economy. The opportunity is increasingly about helping pets live more healthy years, for longer, through better nutrition, functional health, diagnostics, data and care - not simply selling more food. I believe the businesses that win will own a meaningful part of that health journey, not simply a place on the shelf. This is being seen in recent M+A activity globally.

How do you evaluate new opportunities and decide where to invest time, resources, and innovation?

Tension. Advantage. Result. I started The Result to help companies create and realise better outcomes, first in Australia and now in the United States. Our approach is to answer three questions. Tension: what are others missing? Where is the contradiction, unexpected insight or whitespace that reveals a better opportunity? Advantage: what can this business genuinely own? The best ideas are often not what consumers ask for, but the ones that make the outcome they want feel obvious. And they become a moat, without it the advantage may be fleeting. Result: can we make money? Can we prove desirability, create demand at scale and commercialise profitably? For me, that is how you decide where to invest: find the tension, build an advantage around it, and turn it into a result that matters.

What trends are currently shaping the future of pet food or pet accessories and which do you believe will have the greatest long-term impact?

Evidence beats adjectives. Ive often said you can copy colours but you can’t copy claims - and this is proving more true as we look forward. Fresh nutrition, functional benefits, supplements, diagnostics and personalisation are all important, but the bigger shift is from claiming to be “premium”, “natural” or “healthy” to proving meaningful benefit. I think the next generation of category leaders will compete increasingly on evidence, not just positioning. Consumers no longer buy ingredients, they are buying outcomes. That is the future for nutrition, wellbeing and lifestyle.

Ben Lyttle completed a Bachelor of Business (Honours).  Find out more about his career journey by reading his Alumni Spotlight article.

Tim Hatcher

Director and Chief Executive Officer, EzyDog

Tim Hatcher’s career has taken him from accounting, energy and resources to the very different world of premium pet products. Today, he is helping lead EzyDog, the family business behind some of the world’s best-known dog harnesses, into its next chapter. Drawing on years of working alongside entrepreneurial leaders, Tim has learned the value of backing yourself, making decisions with imperfect information and, above all, having a go.

Can you tell us more about EzyDog and why you decided to join the company?

EzyDog designs and engineers premium dog gear and is best known for its harnesses. We sell through specialist pet retailers in Australia and distributors around the world. The common thread is retailers and owners who want the best for their companions.

I joined because I'd spent years working for genuinely entrepreneurial leaders, which gave me a great foundation. Then the family business gave me the opportunity to have a crack at it myself. Once you've watched good operators back themselves up close, it becomes a lot easier to do the same.

What might a standard week look like for you?

We run a global business from Queensland with a lean team, so our week follows the time zones. Mornings are usually focused on Australia, working with our team and retail partners. Later in the day, it shifts to Asia, where our manufacturing and international distribution partners are based, and evenings occasionally belong to Europe. Woven through all of that is product development, which is the part of the job I protect most fiercely because product is the reason customers care about us.

What has been the most rewarding part of leading a pet-focused company?

The customers, without question. Our retailers and customers genuinely love the products and love their pets, and that changes the whole texture of the work. After years in the resources sector, it's a massive difference. Nobody ever sent me a thank-you photo in the resources sector. In this job, people send us photos of their dogs every week, and it never gets old. Customers are also very quick to tell you when you've got something wrong, and I love that feedback because it helps the team learn and improve.

Tim Hatcher completed a Bachelor of Business (Honours). Find out more about his career journey by reading his Alumni Spotlight article.