On the frontline: FD Jim Montieth will be hoping his new appointment is not just for Christmas, as he takes on the finances of the Dogs Trust. David Harding discovers he relishes the chance to work with man's best friend.
The accountant Jim Montieth has recently been appointed as finance director for the Dogs Trust – the charity once known as the National Canine Defence League.
Montieth, 49, took over the job in August and is just about to spend his first Christmas in the role – traditionally the charity’s busiest time. Founded in 1891, the trust has campaigned on matters related to dog-welfare for more than 100 years.
The famous phrase ‘dogs are for life and not just for Christmas’ was coined by chief executive Clarissa Baldwin for one of the charity’s many campaigns to protect man’s best friend.
At this time of year, the charity sees increased activity at its 15 re-homing centres across the UK. In the last few years, there has been a disturbing trend of older dogs being abandoned prior to Christmas. The trust believes this is to make way for new puppies, still a popular choice for a present. The trust also gives free veterinary care to dogs belonging to homeless people through its Hope Project, which also sees more activity in colder months.
It seems like the perfect job for the accountant with a conscience – a role that calls for the managerial and financial skills of an experienced FD, within the context of an organisation with a high social value.
Montieth’s CV suggests that the move to work for a charity was not an obvious one. He has worked in practice as well as in the marketing and IT sectors. But it is a move that makes perfect sense to Montieth.
He puts the switch down to his interest in animal welfare and ‘dogs in particular’, along with the fact that the Dogs Trust is one of the fastest growing charities in the market – 30% average growth in the past five years, he says.
Montieth also believes that his ‘interest in and experience of direct marketing, IT and investment management’ make him ideally suited to the world of charities, and to this charity in particular.
A chartered accountant by training, Montieth has had a varied and busy career stretching back over 26 years.
He started his accountancy life at Deloittes where he remained for 10 years, eventually moving into the role of manager before deciding to change jobs.
In 1987, he moved to a company called B&C Ventures and remained there for the next four years in his position as the firm’s finance director.
But if there is one thing that has marked Montieth’s career, it has been his willingness to try new things.
After leaving B&C Ventures, Montieth became finance director of Dudley Jenkins Group, a direct marketing company. He left in 1999 to establish worldoftraining.com, an e-commerce site providing training courses, with his wife ICAEW council member Anita Montieth.
He stayed with the dotcom until 2001 when he moved to KWI, an international energy trading software developer as FD.
It is a big jump from there to working to the charity’s goal ‘working to free all dogs from the threat of unnecessary destruction’ – but it a satisfying one nonetheless.
For more, see www.dogstrust.org.uk.