We recently sat down with Nicole Cooper, CEO of Animal Health Division, Raccoon Media Group to find out more about her ethos and the transition from being a solo entrepreneur to part of a more structured corporate setting with Raccoon Media Group.
Tell us about you, what is your background?
I was born in Cape Town and have lived in the UK for around 35 years. My career in events spans 30+ years. Within that time, I founded Touchpoint Live Media. We were renowned for launching and running lifestyle events. I have launched and scaled some of the most recognised live event brands in the UK including Grand Designs Live, The National Pet Show, DogFest and the Vet Festival.
What drew you to Raccoon Media Group?
It didn’t happen overnight, there was a lot of groundwork laid over time. Several factors aligned and it really became an organic transition. This is a close-knit industry and I knew Mike Seaman (Group CEO) and Doug Emslie (Chairman) for many years before I joined Raccoon. I initially met Mike many moons ago through ‘Surrey Curry Night’, which was an informal get-together for event organisers. Through many discussions between myself, Doug and Mike, we had a shared understanding of the animal health market and vision for the future. The animal sector is thriving, and although Raccoon Media Group already had The National Equine Show in their portfolio, we could see the significant potential in the B2B space particularly and wanted to capitalise. I officially joined Raccoon Media Group in November 2024 to build and grow the animal health division.
What is your role now, and how has the initial phase with the company been?
I was brought in to grow the division by acquiring and launching events and it has honestly been an amazing experience. My initial, strategic manoeuvres were to bring PATS (Pet & Aquatics Trade Show) and BETA International (British Equestrian Trade Show) into the animal health division. Those events are now co-located at the NEC Birmingham in September, making it convenient for industry professionals with sector convergence to visit both Expos.
Going from one event to three events within nine months has meant a lot of work integrating teams and identifying opportunities, but this period has also been a real success story for the division. We have increased revenues by over 30% in the last nine months. The pet industry is very buoyant and is still experiencing year-on-year growth.
How have you found the transition from running your own business to being part of Raccoon Media Group? Do they give space for corporate entrepreneurship?
What I have loved about Raccoon is that it is a young, dynamic and supportive environment. They recognise, encourage and foster the entrepreneurial spirit, which is important to me. The culture and philosophy are very much move fast and don’t be nervous of tripping up along the way, which gives you real confidence to go and deliver. I joined the company at a time when it was gearing up for growth. That has been rapid in the last year and thrilling to be part of. After many years spent in the ‘trenches’ of events, I earned my stripes, but my interest concentrated more on what growth looked like. This role presents exciting opportunities you don’t get when running a smaller company. You can’t make acquisitions easily, which limits your growth.
What can you tell us about the future of the animal health division?
This is an exciting market and the opportunities are abundant. I am a natural entrepreneur who can spot ideas and assess them commercially. I’m here to drive growth, actively evaluating how we can develop the existing portfolio and where the natural brand extensions are. There is also enormous scope beyond the UK. We have our eyes set on internationalising our events and may even be announcing new launches later this year – watch this space!