Nicola Lakeman is Nutrition Manager with IVC Evidensia and provides advice and support on companion animal nutrition for both pet owners and veterinary practices. She firmly believes that offering guidance to clients on nutritional matters is an essential task for all members of the veterinary team – and one that is carried out with varying degrees of competence. Better known to many colleagues by her former name Nicola Ackerman, she is a highly qualified veterinary nurse and a popular speaker at veterinary conferences on the challenges facing the VN profession.