# Natasha Ashton

> Natasha Ashton is the British co-founder and former co-CEO and chief marketing officer of Petplan in North America, now Fetch Pet Insurance. An Oxford Modern Languages graduate and Wharton MBA, she helped build its consumer brand through publishing, visual marketing and partnerships. Her later work includes Houwzer board service, educational philanthropy and election as a St Edmund Hall Fellow in October 2025.

- **Role:** Co-founder of Fetch Pet Insurance (formerly Petplan); St Edmund Fellow at St Edmund Hall, Oxford
- **Organizations:** Fetch Pet Insurance (formerly Petplan USA), Houwzer (Newfound), St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, PAWS
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** BA in Modern Languages (Modern Greek); MA, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, MBA, Entrepreneurial Studies, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded Petplan USA, the North American business now known as Fetch Pet Insurance., Member of the winning 2003 Wharton Business Plan Competition team., Co-recipient of the 2013 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Greater Philadelphia Retail & Consumer Products award.

## Career timeline

- **1993** — Entered St Edmund Hall to study Modern Languages (Modern Greek).
- **Before 2001** — Worked at a Greek manufacturing company, led an IT recruitment firm and launched a small UK import business; exact dates not established.
- **2001** — Began the Wharton MBA program with husband Chris Ashton.
- **2003** — Won the Wharton Business Plan Competition as part of the PAWS team with Chris Ashton, Laura Bennett and Alex Krooglik; completed her MBA.
- **2006** — Petplan USA launched commercially, according to founder interviews and university biographies.
- **2011** — Petplan ranked No. 123 on the Inc. 500; served on the PAWS board during 2011-2013.
- **2013** — Won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Greater Philadelphia Retail & Consumer Products category with Chris Ashton.
- **2016** — Recognized among Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs.
- **2019** — Petplan appointed Paul Guyardo CEO; Warburg Pincus acquired the business later that year.
- **2021** — Joined the Houwzer board of directors.
- **2022** — Petplan completed its transition to Fetch by The Dodo; Penn Venture Lab listed the Ashtons for an April 7 visiting-expert event.
- **2025** — Elected a St Edmund Hall Fellow in October.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Petplan USA, the North American business now known as Fetch Pet Insurance.
- Member of the winning 2003 Wharton Business Plan Competition team.
- Co-recipient of the 2013 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Greater Philadelphia Retail & Consumer Products award.
- Petplan reached No. 123 on the 2011 Inc. 500.
- Philadelphia Business Journal Most Admired CEOs recognition in 2016.
- Petplan appeared on Forbes America’s Most Promising Companies list in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
- Elected a St Edmund Hall Fellow in October 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Her verified LinkedIn profile records election as a St Edmund Hall Fellow.
- **2022-04** — Penn Venture Lab scheduled Chris and Natasha Ashton as visiting experts on April 7.
- **2021-01** — Houwzer announced her appointment to its board of directors on January 12.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashaashtonpetplan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/natasha-ashton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11