Our mission
Our story
Our mission was initially hatched in the mind of teenaged Darryl Rawlings when his family was faced with a heart wrenching decision about their sweet and playful standard poodle, Mitzy. At just two years old, Mitzy was rushed to the emergency vet and diagnosed with a twisted stomach. Saving her life would require surgery. While the surgery was a relatively routine procedure, the Rawlings family couldn’t afford the cost, and ultimately had to leave the veterinary clinic that day without Mitzy.
At the time, Darryl knew there must be a better way – one in which could deliver a better outcome to veterinarians, pet owners, and of course pets – and yet the chance to act on his belief did not present itself until 15 years later. In 1998, Darryl started Trupanion (originally called Vetinsurance International, Inc.) with the goal of introducing a high-quality medical insurance offering for cats and dogs. In 2000, Trupanion had its first pet, Darryl’s own mixed breed dog named Monty.Darryl Rawlings, Founder and CEO
Learn more about Darryl
Darryl Rawlings
Founder and CEO
Each day, Darryl leads more than 500 pet-loving professionals in the U.S. and Canada to one shared purpose and a singular goal: to help the pets we love receive the best veterinary care. It’s the passion driving everything we do, enabling dogs and cats to lead long, healthy and happy lives.
Darryl has established himself as a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs. As founder and chief executive officer of Trupanion and founder and member of NAPHIA, Darryl is setting high standards for a growing industry, expanding public awareness of medical insurance for cats and dogs, and expanding the market across North America.
His passion for pet health runs deep. When he was 14, his family dog needed surgery that could have lengthened her life for another 12 years. The cost was beyond his parents’ means and they left the veterinary hospital without her. He vowed that someday pets would have even better medical insurance than people do. And Trupanion has fulfilled that promise with medical insurance for cats and dogs that is remarkably better than most human health insurance.
Trupanion covered its first pet in Canada in 2000 and expanded to the United States in 2008. Since expanding to the U.S., Trupanion has established itself as a market leader and now provides medical insurance for cats and dogs in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. In July 2014, Darryl took this a step further, and lead the company through an IPO. Trupanion is publicly traded on NASDAQ.
Under his leadership, the company continues to experience consistent growth, with revenue growth in excess of 25% in each of the past 39 quarters. Trupanion now covers more than 350,000 pets.
Darryl is a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology. His family includes his wife Caroline, two sons Sam and Bennet, bulldogs Tristen and Priscilla, cat Halle and bird Q.
But Monty was just the start! Trupanion grew quickly, first in Canada, and in 2008, into the U.S. In 2020, Trupanion celebrated two decades working to bring to life Darryl’s vision of a product designed in partnership with veterinarians for pet owners to be able to afford life-saving coverage for their cats and dogs. That same year, Trupanion celebrated 500,000 insured pets in North America and over $1 billion in paid claims on behalf of its members.
Two decades in, and Trupanion’s work is still just beginning. As we enter our third decade, we’re excited to explore more ways in which we can bring our Mission to life, starting with continuing to reach even more pet owners with Trupanion’s high-quality medical coverage. With just 2% of pets insured in North America, there is much room for growth ahead!
“I am extremely proud of this company and the work we do to help save the lives of cats and dogs. I truly believe that if Mitzy had Trupanion pet medical insurance all those years ago, she would have lived a much longer and healthier life.”
-Darryl Rawlings
Margi Tooth, President
Learn more about Margi
Margi Tooth
Co-President
Margi joined Trupanion in 2013. As Co-President, Margi oversees all areas of growth including product, distribution, pet acquisition, international, and new product and channel offerings. Previously, Margi served as Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and in various marketing roles with the Company. Prior to joining Trupanion in 2013, Margi spent over 7 years in brand, customer and digital marketing for the world’s largest pet insurance provider based in the UK.
Margi lives in Seattle with her husband, three young sons, Maltipoo, Gertie an English Bulldog, Mabel. Having grown up on a farm and spent hours dreaming of becoming a veterinarian, she channels her animal loving nature in other ways. Her deep rooted love of pets helps her evangelize the importance of pet medical insurance to pretty much anyone she meets!
Tricia Plouf, Chief Operating Officer
Learn more about Tricia
Tricia Plouf
Chief Operating Officer
Tricia joined Trupanion in 2012. As the Chief Operating Officer, Tricia oversees the company's finance, actuarial, people and legal, technology, and operations teams. Tricia was previously the Chief Financial Officer of the company. Prior to joining Trupanion, Tricia was the SEC Reporting and Compliance Manager at Concur Technologies, a provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions. Prior to that, Tricia was an Audit Manager at KPMG, a public accounting firm, focusing on public companies. Tricia has a B.A. in Business Administration, Accounting from Seattle University and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota. Tricia enjoys spending time with her husband, two young daughters, and her Yorkie puppy named Hudson.
Dusty Bonner, Executive Vice President, Distribution
Learn more about Dusty
Dusty Bonner
Executive Vice President, Distribution
Dusty was appointed Head of Leads of Trupanion in April 2020, having previously served as Trupanion’s interim Head of Leads since 2019, and, as a part-owner of Blue Heron Consulting, an advisor to Trupanion since 2019. As Head of Leads Dusty owns strategies to grow Trupanion's lead sources across all channels including veterinary, point of sale and corporate benefits.
Bonner brings a mix of operational and financial leadership to Trupanion, most recently as part owner of Blue Heron consulting, as owner and operator of several North American veterinary practices, and previously as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps where he was responsible for leading groups that have included over 500 marines, and as Financial Officer, responsible for managing over $120 million dollars in assets and the expenditure of over 50 million dollars annually.
Dusty holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Drew Wolff, Chief Financial Officer
Learn more about Drew
Drew Wolff
Chief Financial Officer
Drew is Trupanion's Chief Financial Officer and joined the company in 2021. As CFO, Drew is responsible for overseeing Trupanion's finance and accounting operations including financial planning and analysis, financial reporting, accounting, tax and investor relations. Drew holds over 20 years of strategic and financial management experience, most recently having served as Chief Financial Officer of International for Starbucks, and previously, as Starbucks' Global Treasurer. Prior to Starbucks, Drew served in a variety of corporate finance and strategy roles, including as Chief of Staff and Head of Corporate Affairs and Strategy for Barclays UK's retail bank, and as Division Financial Officer for Washington Mutual's retail bank. Drew holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in economics from the United States Naval Academy. Before beginning his career in business, Drew was an officer on board several nuclear submarines. Drew resides on Bainbridge Island, Washington with his wife, Noelle, their two sons, and their Labrador named Abbey.
Simon Wheeler, Executive Vice President of International Business
Learn more about Simon
Simon Wheeler
Executive Vice President of International Business
In his role as EVP of International Business, Wheeler is responsible for the development of Trupanion's international plans for growth across existing markets such as Australia and driving entry and growth into new international markets including Japan, UK, Brazil and Western Europe. Prior to joining Trupanion, Wheeler was Managing Director at Agria Pet Insurance Ltd with responsibility for the UK marketplace and underwriting branch, Agria Försäkring. Wheeler also played key roles at Allianz Animal Health and Pinnacle Pet Health Care in the UK. Wheeler attended Oundle School and went on to read Economics at De Montford University. Past chair of the Association of British Insurers' Pet Insurance Committee and Trustee of the Petplan Charitable Trust, he has spent his career helping pet parents to access the best veterinary care and proudly includes New Forest Pony “Millie” and Thoroughbred “Spot” in his family.
Steve Weinrauch BVMS, MRCVS, Executive Vice President, Veterinary & Product
Learn more about Steve
Steve Weinrauch BVMS, MRCVS
Executive Vice President, Veterinary & Product
Dr. Steve, BVMS, MRCVS, joined Trupanion after nine years of continuous full time practice in 2013 as Director of Veterinary Direct Pay, then promoted to Chief Veterinary Officer in 2015 and expanded his role to Chief Product Officer in 2016. Steve was born and raised in Boston, trained and met his wife in Scotland, and prides himself on bringing a bit of east coast to Seattle. His wife is also a practicing veterinarian in the Seattle area. Together they share their home with a small herd of dogs and two young and very tolerant sons.
Dr. Steve also has a passion for helping animals and the veterinary professionals who dedicate their lives to them. He is Co-Founder and Medical Director of 2nd Chance Rescue 501(c)(3) and Founder of Mightyvet.org 501(c)(3). Previously he served as Director of De Novo Development at National Veterinary Associates and Partner Veterinarian and Chief of Staff at a large Washington hospital. He has published his research in numerous peer reviewed journals and is licensed to practice in both the USA and the European Union.
Our aspirations for the Trupanion brand are global and in the next several years, we’ll look to redefine the pet medical insurance landscape in parts of Asia, South America and Western Europe.
We also look forward to building greater transparency in the industry – helping pet owners better understand the options available to them and their pets, including through the introduction of new insurance products.
And finally, we intend to explore our hypothesis that pets eating a healthy diet and the right amount of quantities will help your pet live a longer, happier life – wouldn’t that be great? More time we can spend with our beloved pets.
At Trupanion, we want to change the pet health paradigm forever. And we’re just beginning.
