Dr. Ivan “Zak” Zakharenkov is a veterinarian, entrepreneur, and advocate for veterinary well-being. After graduating from the Atlantic Veterinary College, he practiced across Canada in both emergency and general settings.
Following 12 years in practice and a personal experience with burnout, Ivan shifted to building solutions that improve veterinary workflows. In 2012, he founded Smart Flow, the industry’s first workflow optimization system, later acquired by IDEXX, where he served as General Manager of the software division. He went on to consult with 650+ practices worldwide on workflow efficiency.
In 2019, he founded Veterinary Integration Solutions, a consultancy for consolidators, and in 2021 launched Galaxy Vets, an employee-owned veterinary healthcare system focused on burnout prevention. Ivan also earned an MBA in International Healthcare Management, with a thesis on applying Lean Thinking to improve the employee experience, and continues his research on veterinary burnout.