As Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer for one of the most innovative pet insurance companies in the United States, Natasha’s passion for creative excellence and love for pets is unmatched.
Natasha 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. Before attending The Wharton School, she spent several years working for a Greek manufacturing company and a leading international information technology recruitment firm, and launching a small import business in the UK.
Natasha sits on the board of the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and in October 2013 she accepted an invitation to sit on the Ernst & Young Global Women in Business Advisory Council (GWBAC). This council consists of distinguished women entrepreneurs, with a primary focus on the three key challenges facing women in business today: networks, capital and mentors.
Natasha, together with husband and co-CEO Chris Ashton, has gathered numerous accolades, including being included in the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” awards for the pair’s commitment to professional excellence and community involvement. January 2012, they were included on Smart CEO magazine’s “Future 50” list in recognition of Petplan’s explosive growth. In June 2013, the pair were named “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the Greater Philadelphia region by Ernst & Young. For the past 3 years Petplan has made the Forbes list of America’s Most Promising Companies.
In July 2012, Natasha 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, and has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Fortune magazine and FOX Business.com, to name a few.
Whether at home or in the office, Natasha and Chris are joined by their son Benjamin and their English Toy Spaniel Montgomery, or “Monty.” The Ashtons welcomed Monty into the family after their Birman cat Bodey– who was the inspiration for bringing Petplan to the U.S. – passed away in 2012.