Press Release: Chantrey Vellacott partner set for Africa charity mission

When accountant Simon Evans decided he needed a change he did not do things by half.Evans, a partner at Chantrey Vellacott DFK, is packing away the contents of his desk in March and heading off to work for the Kenyan Society for the Blind.The 40-year-old is taking up a one-year post through Voluntary Service Overseas to provide financial advice to the charity based in Nairobi.He will help run the finances of the charity, which has an income of around £500,000 a year, but his key goal is to develop staff and procedures and leave a lasting impact after he returns home.Evans said: “I had considered doing VSO work when I left university but I didn’t really have any skills to offer. “Obviously that has changed and after doing auditing for 16 years I felt I could be of real use to an organisation in Africa. “It has been a really difficult decision because I am a partner at Chantrey Vellacott DFK and it is a really good place to work but it was a case that if I don’t do it now, I never will.“The firm has been great about it and have let me know that the door is open when I return.“I am really looking forward to it. I will be paid a wage of around 5,000 Kenyan shillings a month, which is the equivalent of around £40, and this will be topped up by VSO.“The charity has had some issues with its finances and I hope to be able to solve any problems, set them up well for the future and also train staff so things run smoothly once my year is up.”Although Evans organised his year through VSO, he was advised by Accounting for International Development which offers accountants the opportunity to make a difference as overseas volunteers while at the same time gaining invaluable hands-on experience in the international development sector.Neil Jennings, of AfID, said professionals looked to go abroad for a number of reasons, and at different stages of their careers.He said: “We look to build the capacity of the organisations that we help so that they can run become more self sustaining. “Often that will involve putting reporting procedures and controls in place which are essential to funded organisations.“Many accountants want to use their experience and give something back. The length of our assignments means accountants can organise them during working life, after they have finished work or during a gap in employment.”Mark Lamb, Head of Business Development at Chantrey Vellacott DFK and Vice-President of DFK International in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said Evans would also be spreading the word for DFK International. “The association is made up of more than 200 member companies in almost 100 countries and has significant growth plans in Africa and has new members in Ghana and Uganda and plans to expand further in East Africa over the next year,” he said.“Simon is a very accomplished and popular partner and we will be following his progress and while out there he will be visiting Kenyan companies to build up the association’s membership base in Africa.”
END

Media enquiries:

Pete Squires

Advent Communications

2 Edison Building

Electric Wharf

Sandy Lane

Coventry CV1 4JA

Tel: 024 7663 3636

http://www.advent-communications.co.uk