Growing up her Dutch father taught her from a very young age that she ‘could do anything if she tried’.This maxim has stayed with her and has been a valuable source of strength during the inevitable setbacks of small business. She had an entrepreneurial streak from a young age, and as a child began her first pet business selling mice to the local pet shop at 40cents each! By age 23 she was single-handedly running 300 David Jones fashion shows across Australia each year. Executive Management roles soon followed and by age 29, Anneke had secured the position of Marketing Director of Blackmores leading a large, cross-functional team. Successful roles followed at Bonds and Apparel Group before launching her own business Rufus & Coco in 2008. Rufus & Coco was born of her own struggle to find fashionable, quality pet care products and a lack of natural alternatives. Recognising a gap in the market along with the sweeping global trend towards pet humanization, she set about developing quality ‘Best of Breed’ products that would make a genuine difference in the lives of pets and their owners. Her pet care brand is now a global success with a presence in nine countries and is available locally in pet stores and through Woolworths, Coles and IGA supermarkets. She’s taken her own business from start up to national grocery brand within three years, alongside the birth of her two children. Rufus & Coco is Australia's most awarded pet care brand, providing well-bred pet care to ensure that pets around the world look good and feel great. The Australian owned brand has received seven Australian Business Awards for product excellence and innovation & the 2016 Telstra Business Awards in the NSW Micro Business category. Providing innovative and inspired solutions for pets from ‘hamster to horse’, the health and beauty range includes vitamins, grooming and cleaning products, fashion and home accessories and award-winning cat litter.