Former IDEXX CEO Ayers to chair board of global cat conservation nonprofit

Jonathan Ayers among palm trees (head rest from wheelchair visible), in Florida.

Photo / Hejung Kim Jonathan Ayers, the former chairman, president and CEO of Westbrook-based IDEXX Laboratories Inc., will chair the board of directors at Panthera, a New-York based organization devoted to global wild cat conservation. Ayers and his wife, Helaine, joined Panthera's board in 2020.

Write a Comment

By Renee Cordes

Jonathan Ayers, the former head of Westbrook-based IDEXX Laboratories Inc. who has found new purpose in life through philanthropy following a catastrophic bike accident that left him quadriplegic, will soon start a new professional chapter.

He will serve as chairman of the board of Panthera, a New York-based nonprofit devoted to conserving cats in the wild, the organization announced on Monday. Panthera had a budget of $14.6 million in 2020.

Ayers, who resigned as chairman, president and CEO of IDEXX in 2019 following his accident and currently resides in Florida, has served on Panthera's board, alongside his wife, Helaine, since 2020.

The couple also supports Panthera financially, pledging to invest $20 million over a decade for wild cat conservation.

"I have always loved cats and as I think they are one of God's most amazing creations," Ayers told Mainebiz on Monday. "Now I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to utilize my leadership skills to conserve them in the wild."

Ayers shared more about his lifelong love of cats, and his journey from the corporate world to philanthropy, in an interview with Mainebiz for "The Day That Changed Everything" podcast released this summer.

As Panthera's new board chair, Ayers will succeed Thomas S. Kaplan, who has served in the role since he and his wife, Daphne, founded the organization in 2006.

'Rare combination'

In Monday's announcement, Kaplan said Ayers is the right person to lead Panthera's next chapter, saying he knew Ayers was "the one" going back to their first conversation.

"For years now, I had been waiting for someone with such a rare combination of talent, expertise and dedication to come into the world of wild cat conservation," Kaplan said.

"Jon is that person. To his very core, he is not just a man of great empathy for these creatures that need champions, but indeed a highly achieved businessman who excels at mastering the big picture strategy required to lead and solve the complex challenges facing wild cats — and hence to take Panthera to even greater heights."

Ayers sees philanthropy as a two-way street that also benefits him, grateful for the chance to make a meaningful contribution to a cause he feels so strongly about as he explained in the podcast interview.