Meet PD Business Development Managers: Danielle, Jacqui and Juliette

As the pet care industry progresses and becomes more digital, what binds us pet professionals together on the ground? Enter the PD Pet Insurance Business Development Managers (BDMs). The BDM is that person on the ground, connecting our company to yours.

These dedicated business relationships experts will introduce you to pet insurance and our partner rewards programme then guide you through your journey. They understand your business needs and have the knowledge and insight to answer your partnership questions, giving you direct support.

In this article, PD Pet Insurance introduces each of our BDMs. We look at what drives them to fortify the pet care industry and promote healthy business partnerships. We also share a bit about where they come from and their past achievements.

Step this way to meet Juliette, Danielle and Jacqui (and their pets).

Meet Auckland based BDM, Danielle Rutherford

Danielle Rutherford is PD’s Auckland based BDM, covering the Upper North Island. She’s been supporting our existing and prospective PD pet care industry partners since September 2022.

Danielle brings a rich knowledge of the insurance industry to her role, having previously worked in travel and health insurance. She’s also experienced in all aspects of sales, from front line retail to phone and online sales.

Her skills in team leader management and account management have helped cement her understanding of what your business needs are when joining the PD partner rewards programme.

“Providing support and guidance to people and their businesses is something I enjoy about working at PD. To see an individual, team, or business reach their full potential is very rewarding and satisfying to me.

One of the great aspects of having your businesses join the PD partner rewards programme is always having that dedicated support from the PD partner team.

My typical day involves communicating with partners via phone, online, and in person out on the road. This involves training, onboarding, support, updates, and handling queries from my region.”

Danielle on pets and getting pet insurance

“The loveable fifth member in my family is my Pug, Chewy. (The others are my little humans😊). Chewy’s quite the character and very clever…. Sometimes too clever! He loves family adventures and will often be found lying out soaking up the sun if it’s a nice day.

When it comes to having pet insurance, I wish more pet owners were aware that in addition to covering pets, all our policies provide cover for third party liability.”

Introducing PD Pet Insurance BDM, Jacqui Whelan

Jacqui Whelan joined PD as BDM in October 2022. She covers the Lower North Island from Taranaki / Hawkes Bay down to Wellington. Jacqui has been in the pet industry for 20 years now. Prior to joining forces with PD Pet Insurance she worked as Account Manager for a pet products company. She also has vet clinic experience.

These roles combined have given her an indelible skillset for knowing the pet care industry inside and out. They’ve also given her a critical understanding of the urgent need for more Kiwi pets having access to pet health insurance.

As Jacqui says, “having vet clinic experience has given me a good knowledge base to be able to train my PD partners. Besides partner rewards, a fantastic aspect of becoming a PD Partner is that your business gets ongoing personalised support from your BDM.

We ensure you have the information and knowledge to help your customers get pet health care and your business earn rewards. I love seeing people ‘get it’. It is lovely to get feedback from partners after training sessions who are now much more confident with PD and insurance in general. This is a real inspiration to me.

My typical day at work is a mix of being out on the road, meeting partners and doing training sessions. I also don’t say no to puppy and kitten cuddles! There is also behind the scenes admin to make sure my partners have all the tools they need to provide insurance knowledge to their pet owners.”

Jacqui on pets and having pet insurance

“I live rurally and nearly have enough animals to start a petting zoo! My two dogs are a Labrador called Gin and a German Shorthaired Pointer called Cinder. My three cats are Whittaker (aka Ned) the Burmese, Wasabi the Highland fold variant and Cake the rescue cat. I have two Kunekune pigs named Gwen and Bea and six goats, who are Gerty, Thistle, Thorn, Bracken, Bramble and Blitz. I also have 12 chickens.

I’ve always wanted a Burmese and, as the newest member of the family, Ned didn’t disappoint! He has so much personality and often joins me on Teams meetings. My dogs are lucky enough to run in the hills with me every day. Living the dream!

NZ is quite behind the rest of the world when it comes to pet insurance. It is very ‘normal’ for almost every pet owner in the UK to have insurance. Just because your friend says something like ‘insurance is a waste of money’ doesn’t mean that’s the reality. It’s important to do your own research and weigh up the pros and cons.

I like to ask people the question, could you pull $5,000 out of your pocket in an emergency? If the answer is no, then perhaps you should consider looking into pet insurance.

It removes the barrier of compromising on the level of care you can provide your animal and stops you having to make awful decisions about having to put your pet to sleep because you can’t afford treatment.”

Juliette Ransley joins PD as South Island BDM

Juliette Ransley joined PD as our newest BDM, in January 2023. She covers the South Island of New Zealand.  

Before joining the PD Pet Insurance team, Juliette worked in sales in the foodservice sector for several years. As she puts it the shift to supporting more Kiwi pets in gaining access to pet health care was a natural one:

“I really wanted to follow my passion for looking after and rehabilitating animals. Gaining my Diploma in Veterinary Nursing in 2009, I was set to change career path when the Christchurch Earthquakes hit. Two houses and two children later I launched my career into a field that I believe truly helps and supports pet owners (and their furry companions) in their time of need.

The customer interaction, meeting and greeting clients, solving issues, making people’s lives that little bit easier… These aspects inspire me in the work I do supporting our pet care industry partners.

As a BDM, I don’t think there’s such a thing as a typical day at work. I’m still learning the ropes so a lot of time is spent in the background, understanding how things tick, and on the laptop.  Customer visits are a very valuable break from the laptop, whether it be a breeder, pet store or vet clinic. Each has something interesting to offer and learn from.”

Juliette on pets and pet insurance

At home we currently we have a variety of pets and stories for each… Whiskey our Staffordshire Bull Terrier and her endless shenanigans with our chickens (all named!) and Dorper Sheep. Yes they are named also! There’s nothing funnier than calling your sheep and having them run towards you from the other side of the paddock.

One of the best aspects of joining the PD partner rewards programme is, if you are truly passionate about your breed/profession, being able to offer your future puppy owners or clients a way to ensure everything possible can be done to keep their pet safe/well should the unthinkable happen.

When it comes to pet owners and the value of having pet insurance, I wish more people knew that it doesn’t need to be scary. We are on your side when it comes to pet claims time and throughout the entire pet insurance journey.”

Join our PD Pet Insurance rewards programme

Now that we’ve introduced you to the PD Pet Insurance BDMs virtually, meet them in person too. Join our pet care industry partnership rewards programme and you’ll get ongoing BDM support for you and your staff.

Our BDMs will give you the tools and knowledge to support your customers in securing an affordable, value-rich pet plan. By offering your customers award winning pet insurance you help keep more Kiwi pets on the right side of health. It also means referral rewards for your business or organisation.

Contact Danielle, Jacqui or Juliette today to start your journey as a PD pet care partner.