Bill Hughson is a seasoned leader with an experienced track record of creating superior business strategy, building high-performing teams and driving operational excellence. Since taking on his first CEO role at the age of 28, he has focused on the consumer, education and healthcare industries, and has a special passion for opportunities where two or more of these interests intersect. He has served as President/CEO and Director of multiple companies, including Blue Sky Vision, Integra Med Fertility, the Healthcare Education Group of DeVry, Inc., DaVita Rx, AG Ferrari Foods and Noah’s Bagels. Bill began his career in the Capital Markets Division of Morgan Stanley and in the healthcare group of Bain & Company. He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude in English from Williams College and his Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
With more than 25 years' experience as a general counsel in the health care, mining, charitable, education and private equity / investment management sectors globally and in Europe, Greg Radke has successfully led in-house legal, compliance and internal audit functions at multinational companies in Europe, America and Asia.
As the co-founder and general counsel of Smartemis AG, he leads efforts to secure funding, establish partnerships, and protect the company's intellectual property rights, as well as overseeing all legal and governance aspects of its business. Prior to that, Greg was the group general counsel at Selecta, the leading European vending and coffee service provider, where he managed the legal, internal audit and governance aspects of the company's business across sixteen markets in Europe.
Before joining Selecta, he was the global general counsel at EF Education First, the world's largest private education company, where he oversaw the legal affairs of the company's diverse and international operations.
His core competencies include general corporate counsel, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property law, internal audit and corporate governance. Greg is passionate about delivering innovative and sustainable solutions that enhance the customer experience and create value for the stakeholders. He has a B.A. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
Dr. Bronson Schmitz is a veterinarian, business administrator and business executive focused on building and scaling veterinarian companies. As Managing Director of Smartemis Deutschland, Tradelios and Board Member of Smartemis AG, he drives network expansion, integration, sustainable value creation, and ongoing performance optimization. Combining clinical expertise with experience in digitalization, executive search and international business development, he is committed to creating a practice and clinic network that preserves entrepreneurial independence and delivering sustainable growth, operational excellence and long-term value creation.
Ingmar Beck is an experienced financial executive with a strong track record of building scalable finance organizations, driving performance improvement, successful Exits and supporting sustainable growth. As Chief Financial Officer, he focuses on aligning financial strategy with operational execution, strengthening governance structures and enabling data-driven decision-making across the organization. Throughout his career, Ingmar has held CFO roles across the healthcare and services sectors, where he has overseen finance, controlling, accounting and business intelligence functions. He has been responsible for strategic planning, M&A activities, process optimization and the implementation of modern financial systems to support dynamic, growth-oriented businesses. Ingmar began his career in auditing and advisory (Big 4 audit company), developing a strong foundation in financial reporting, compliance and corporate finance. He holds a degree in business administration and is a certified public auditor, combining technical expertise with a pragmatic, hands-on leadership style.
Dr. Dirk Butenandt studied veterinary medicine and earned his doctorate in Munich. He then worked for a year in equine medicine, both in clinical practice and as a research assistant in the surgical department at LMU Munich. Following this, he transitioned to small animal medicine and worked for six years in various small animal clinics and practices. During this time, he completed his specialist training in small animal medicine. Through continuous professional development, he acquired further certified specializations in surgery and internal medicine. In 2009, he took over the Rosenheim Veterinary Clinic and expanded it from 10 to nearly 50 employees, establishing it as a state-of-the-art emergency and referral center with advanced diagnostics including CT. Dr. Dirk Butenandt is a delegate of the Bavarian State Veterinary Association and the TBV Oberbayern. In 2022, he was the first to join the Smartemis network in Germany with his clinic and has accompanied the development of Smartemis from the beginning with numerous ideas and suggestions.
A 1990 graduate of the National Veterinary School of Toulouse, with a postgraduate diploma in Tropical Pathology from IEMVT Alfort, Jean-Pascal Danneels-Casabianca brings over 30 years of experience spanning clinical practice, management, and international strategic development.
After beginning his career in small animal practice in southern France and serving with the Veterinary Services in French Guiana, he joined the MARS – UNISABI group in 1994. He initially led veterinary petfood business development in southwest France before establishing professional veterinary and pet retail distribution networks in La Réunion and overseeing multi-brand distribution across the Indian Ocean region. He later served as Sub-Saharan Africa Director (English- and French-speaking), where he developed and structured distribution networks and expanded international markets. Following a leadership role within Groupe Casino in New Caledonia, he returned to his core profession in 2003 and is now based in La Réunion, where he owns and manages two small animal veterinary clinics while remaining actively involved in daily clinical practice.
With a unique hybrid profile combining medical expertise, entrepreneurship, and international management, he continues to balance clinical work, business leadership, and active engagement in professional advocacy and sports such as golf and padel. He is committed to actively contributing to collective development and to defending the independence of the veterinary profession.
Véronique Descarsin is a veterinarian based in Brittany and founder of her own companion animal clinic, which she has led for over 16 years. She works with dogs, cats, bees, and New Companion Animals (NACs), combining conventional veterinary medicine with complementary approaches such as acupuncture.
A graduate of the National Veterinary School of Nantes, she also holds certifications in Quality Assurance and a postgraduate degree in bee diseases. Her career includes leadership roles at Masterfoods and experience in the laboratory sector, specializing in BSE testing at AES Laboratoire (later acquired by bioMérieux).
The first veterinarian in France to join the Smartemis network in 2022, Véronique is committed to supporting independent practitioners and contributing to the growth and development of the Smartemis veterinary network in France.
Dr Birgit Müller studied veterinary medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover from 1992 to 1998 and earned her doctorate at the equine clinic in 2000. She subsequently worked in small animal and equine practices, specializing in ophthalmology. She holds additional qualifications in ophthalmology for small animals and horses and is a certified member of the Dortmund Circle, serving as an ECVO eye scheme examiner.
In 2013, she founded her own ophthalmology practice, which relocated in 2021 to Dossenheim near Heidelberg as the “Tieraugenzentrum am Neckar.” She has developed it into a supraregional referral center for small animal and equine ophthalmology with 25 employees. Her focus includes intraocular and corneal surgery, genetic eye diseases, and the training of veterinary staff.
Dr Müller has been a member of Smartemis since 2023 and represents veterinarians on the network’s board, with a particular focus on mental health and professional development.
Michael Drexler is an investor and capital markets executive with more than two decades of experience across global banking, credit markets, and private investment. His career reflects a consistent focus on risk, information asymmetry, and disciplined capital allocation. He is Managing Partner of Nakano Investments LLC, where he focuses on long-term capital partnerships, special situations, and strategic advisory work. Previously, he served as Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, where he spent over eight years in senior capital markets roles across New York and Florida. Prior to Deutsche Bank, he was Managing Director at Cornwall Capital and held Executive Director positions at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
Michael began his professional career in Tokyo as a reporter with The Mainichi Newspapers and IDG News Service before transitioning into financial markets as a Ratings Analyst at S&P Global. His early work in journalism and credit analysis instilled a deep respect for primary-source information, skepticism, and structural risk; these disciplines continue to shape his investment approach.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Amherst College, a Master of Science in Political Economy from New York University, and a Master of Science in Information and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Matthew Woolsey is a British-American executive, board director, and strategist with deep experience building and transforming premium consumer, lifestyle, and technology-enabled businesses in the USA, UK, and Europe, particularly those backed by private equity and venture capital funds.
He has served as managing director, president, and non-executive director for a range of companies including: Net-a-Porter, Hydrow, 66˚North, PreWarp, the Royal Mint, and EET. Matthew has also served as a resident expert for incubators within the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, and the UK’s National Health Service.
Matthew holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University and a master of science from Columbia University.
