'Born and raised in London, Professor John Innes graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1991 after which he moved to the University of Bristol working there for 10 years. During that time he completed his postgraduate surgery training and received a PhD ('canine osteoarthritis') from the Rheumatology Unit of the Bristol Medical School. He became a RCVS-recognised Specialist in 2001. In 2001, he was appointed Professor of Small Animal Surgery at the University of Liverpool and was Head of Department of Musculoskeletal Biology in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences from 2011 to 2013. He was visiting professor at University of Sydney in 2010. He joined CVS Group plc in 2013 as Referrals Director and became Chief Veterinary Officer in 2019. As Referrals Director he was responsible for overseeing the development of the company’s nine specialist referral centres in UK and Ireland. As CVO, John is responsible for clinical governance, clinical excellence and quality improvement across the group and he maintains clinical activity at ChesterGates Veterinary Specialists clinic. John has published more than 90 peer-reviewed papers and 14 book chapters in the areas of veterinary and comparative orthopaedics, particularly osteoarthritis. He has supervised multiple residents and PhD students. In 2016, John was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for ‘meritorious contributions to knowledge’ and he was elected Chair of the RCVS Fellowship Board in 2019. John has a good understanding of pain: being born in 1967, he has never witnessed England win a major football tournament, and, after Euros 2020, he suspects he never will!'