Natasha Ashton

Now at the helm of one of the fastest-growing pet insurance companies in North America, Natasha brings her passion for pets, business expertise and marketing savvy to her dual roles as co-CEO and CMO. Natasha has been the driving force in creating the Petplan brand, and takes a hands-on approach to maintaining its integrity both visually and in print. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and completed the highly selective Wharton Venture Initiation Program in 2003, co-winning the Wharton Business Plan Competition. Prior to that, Natasha received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Oxford University. Natasha’s passion for creative excellence and love for pets is unmatched. She sits on the board of the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and in 2013 accepted an invitation to sit on the Ernst & Young Global Women in Business Advisory Council (GWBAC). Natasha has been tapped for her business expertise by USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Fortune magazine and FOXBusiness.com, among others. In 2012, she was invited by Arianna Huffington to be a featured blogger for The Huffington Post. Natasha also pens a bimonthly column on business management for Smart Business magazine. Since launching Petplan in 2006, Chris and Natasha Ashton have been successfully involved in the business and philanthropic communities of Philadelphia. They have gathered numerous accolades, including: • Inclusion in Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” awards • Named to Smart CEO magazine’s "Future 50" list in recognition of Petplan’s explosive growth • Awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the Greater Philadelphia region by Ernst & Young