brief for the position of chief executive, the kennel club · pedigree dog breed for them, as well...

Brief for the position of

Chief Executive, The Kennel ClubApril 2020

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Chair’s letter 1

About us 2

History of The Kennel Club 3

What we do 4

Impact 5

Role 6

Person specification 7

Overview of the Executive Structure 9

How to apply 10

Contents

I am delighted you are considering applying to be the Chief Executive of The Kennel Club. For nearly 150 years, we have been committed to making a difference for dogs. We are the UK’s largest organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting the health and welfare of all dogs. Besides being a voluntary register for pedigree dogs and crossbreed dogs, we offer dog owners and those working with dogs an unparalleled source of education, experience and advice on puppy buying, dog health, dog training and dog breeding. We also own and run Crufts, the world’s greatest dog show (indeed, one of the largest consumer events in the UK), as well as running or licensing over 4,000 other events for dogs, including Discover Dogs, London’s biggest dog event.

The Kennel Club is governed by a Board of 24, elected from the Club’s 1,540 Members and is run by a committed professional staff of 215 people across health and education, canine activities, events, product and service development, marketing and communications, operations and corporate support functions. The Club is also fortunate to have a team of thousands of volunteers drawn from associated clubs and societies across the country from the dog breeding, veterinary and sporting communities and the wider dog economy.

The Kennel Club has enjoyed remarkable stability in its executive leadership with Rosemary Smart very recently having stepped down as Chief Executive after 18 years.

We are now seeking a charismatic, strategic leader to take The Kennel Club forward, working with the Board to develop and implement strategy in pursuit of its 2030 vision. Our new Chief Executive will bring a passion for improving and ensuring the health and wellbeing of dogs. The Chief Executive will also bring energy and emotional intelligence, building constructive relationships with The Kennel Club’s Membership, staff and other stakeholders and taking them on the journey to a new level of success, enhancing The Kennel Club’s reputation and delivering its mission of making a difference for dogs.

Tony Allcock OBEChairman

Chair’s letter

CANDIDATE BRIEF | THE KENNEL CLUB

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• We help aspiring dog owners find the right pedigree dog breed for them, as well as promote the rewards of good breeding and training to a dog-loving public

• We work with breeders, judges, competitors and

exhibitors to organise world-class events and to develop the resources they need to thrive

• And through The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, we work with like-minded partners to improve the health and welfare of dogs of all breeds.

About us

We believe that owning and working with dogs is one of life’s greatest joys. Responsible dog breeding and ownership is an important part of building a more humane society and at The Kennel Club, we’re here to help, every step of the way, throughout your dog’s life.


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Formed in 1873, The Kennel Club is the UK’s leading canine authority, dedicated to promoting responsible dog breeding, training and care. It’s our role to ensure standards are not just maintained but constantly improved, so that each generation of dogs can be healthier and happier than the last.

The Kennel Club was founded in 1873 by S.E. Shirley and 12 other gentlemen who wanted all dog shows and field trials to be run fairly and honestly and with the welfare of the dogs in mind. They set up The Kennel Club to govern these events nationwide, whilst also creating a register of pedigree dogs.

The very first sport we recognised was field trials, which test the skills of working gundogs. Over time, we started to govern a wide range of other canine activities such as working trials, obedience, agility and heelwork to music. In 1939, we acquired the world-famous Crufts dog show (founded in 1891), following the death of its founder, Charles Cruft. It has now become our flagship annual event and showcases a wide range of these canine activities to the public.

Since 1949, we’ve been investing in veterinary and scientific research projects to improve the health and welfare of dogs. Modern health testing was developed in the 1960s, and now, in conjunction with the British Veterinary Association, we manage a wide range of health testing schemes and publish results for a whole range of inherited conditions.

The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, founded in 1985, has since it was formed distributed grants totalling over £11m to a wide variety of causes supporting its charitable purposes across canine health and research, support dogs, welfare and rescue. The Kennel Club Educational Trust, founded in 2007, aims to provide opportunities to educate the public about dogs, and to promote positive messages about the responsibilities of dog ownership to the general public.

Today, with an annual income of £22m The Kennel Club represents the interests of all responsible dog owners to ensure that dogs are welcome throughout society and so that they can live happy, healthy lives. This is delivered through our education and awareness programmes on puppy-buying, responsible breeding, health issues, dog training and day-to-day dog welfare.

History of The Kennel Club

Credit: Oscar Sutton


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Working across two main sites, in London and in Aylesbury, we run the UK’s largest registration database for pedigree dogs. Our registration database helps us collate important health information, which enables us to fund research and initiatives that can improve the genetic health of pedigree breeds.

We encourage breeders to protect the health and welfare of their litters through various schemes, including our UKAS accredited Assured Breeder Scheme, which is the only scheme in the UK that monitors breeders.

We also help people to enjoy fun sports and activities with their dogs. We run the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, and license more than 4,000 other dog shows and events each year.

Dog training is an important part of responsible ownership, which is why we run the UK’s largest dog training programme, the Good Citizen Dog Scheme, as well as promote the importance of finding the right breeder and breed for you.

We also provide event, training and seminar facilities in our Kennel Club Building at Stoneleigh, as well as a centre of excellence for working dogs at our 7,550-acre estate in Northumberland.

There are many more initiatives that we work on, such as lobbying the government to improve dog welfare and running Petlog, the UK’s leading microchipping database. We are a not-for-profit organisation and all of our profits go towards the pursuit of our mission of making a difference for dogs, either through The Kennel Club’s own activities or through its connected charities.

What we do

For more information about our work to help dogs and how we improve their chances of living long, healthy lives with responsible owners, please see our Annual Report.


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https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/1160477/kc-annual-report-2019.pdf

Impact

22 DNA tests developed for more than 50 dog breeds, and 65,000

dogs tested

Supporting 336 breed rescue

organisations

Over 200,000 puppies registered

with us each year

Over 600,000 dog training

certificates awarded to dog owners

Grants awarded from The Kennel Club

Charitable Trust – over £11million to date

Nearly 3,000 Assured Breeder Scheme members,

producing 17,500 puppies in 2019

Over 4,000 Kennel Club licensed shows throughout the year

1,540 members Nearly 7 million people visit our website each year


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Responsible for the leadership of all aspects of the business within the authorities delegated by the Board, including business and financial planning, strategy development, budgetary management and building constructive and mutually beneficial relationships with the Membership, commercial partners, staff and other stakeholders.

• Lead the development and the execution of the organisation’s vision, values and strategy, in close collaboration with the Board, to deliver The Kennel Club’s mission of “Making a Difference for Dogs”

• Establish a close, open relationship of trust with the Chair, reporting key developments in a timely manner, seeking and providing advice and assistance as appropriate. Support and closely collaborate with the Chair and the Board to ensure the highest level of governance

• Establish and build positive relationships with the Board, Kennel Club Membership, executive staff and wider stakeholder groups

• Protect, nurture and grow The Kennel Club’s reputation and good name, continually improving its public profile, acting as an effective ambassador and spokesperson. Build and grow relationships with the dog breeding, sporting and welfare communities and with the wider dog economy in support of The Kennel Club’s mission

• Ensure that agreed strategies, as approved by the Board in support of the mission, are delivered via robust business planning, budgeting and performance management

• Ensure that financial results, business strategies and appropriate targets and milestones are communicated to the Board and that the flow of information to the Board is accurate, timely and clear

• Develop, retain and attract a high-quality leadership team to ensure delivery of the strategy

• Deliver an energising organisational culture, consistent with agreed values, that motivates and inspires staff to be the best they possibly can in support of the Kennel Club mission, vision and strategy

• Lead and encourage a culture of continuous improvement and on-going evolutionary development to ensure collaboration, efficiency, financial sustainability and high-quality standards across the entire organisation.

Role

Credit: Yulia Titovets © The Kennel Club


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Knowledge and experience • Successful track record of senior level leadership in complex organisations with a focus on nuanced stakeholder navigation and engagement

• Charismatic and inspiring leader with a strong track record of developing and empowering high performing teams

• Track record of sensitively and successfully leading an organisation through evolutionary change, including culture shift and increasing digital adoption to improve efficiency and effectiveness

• Demonstrable budgetary and financial accountability experience, along with the mental agility to successfully handle the hybrid Kennel Club governance structures

• Extensive and successful experience of working collaboratively with a Board and building on the distinct roles of the executive and the Board in delivering organisational objectives

• Bringing a high level of external ambassadorial experience including influencing public policy, high-level networking and leadership to take people with them to deliver goals

• Entrepreneurial approach to opportunity in support of organisational strategy, along with a track record of attracting income through commercial activities, corporate partners and major donors.

Skills and attributes • High levels of emotional intelligence • Passion for improving and ensuring the health and wellbeing of dogs

• An inspirational and dynamic leader, self-motivated with energy and commitment

• A strategic thinker with commercial acumen • Strong customer/member focus and exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage positively with key stakeholders at every level

• Digitally aware with an understanding of new technologies, their potential to impact the external strategic environment and the contribution this can make to internal systems, along with delivering value for money

• High level of ability to influence and build support to gain buy-in and momentum for change

• Ability to take difficult decisions in a way that maintains morale

• Politically savvy – highly adept at navigating complex relationships whilst achieving strategic aims

• Big picture thinker, with the ability to identify and exploit synergies between varying activities across The Kennel Club’s portfolio – and to inspire and enable a ‘one Kennel Club’ approach throughout the organisation

• Good level of understanding of the dog economy or a strong curiosity, ability and willingness to learn

• Ability to work effectively and deliver results alongside a fully non-executive/elected Board.

Person specification


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The Kennel Club Organisational Chart Overview

Overview of the Executive Structure

Products & Services Executive

Events Executive

Head of HR

Legal & Disciplinary Executive

Chief Operating

Officer

Library & Collections

Manager

Chief Marketing &

Communications Officer

Chief Financial

Officer

The Kennel

Club Secretary

Club Manager

Senior Health & Welfare

Manager

Chief Executive Officer


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Please apply by submitting a CV and cover letter. The cover letter should address how you meet the criteria and outline why you are interested in the role. Please also complete the Equalities Monitoring Form at the end of the application process.

The preferred method of application is online at: www.odgers.com/75686

If you are unable to apply online, please email your application to [email protected]

All applications will receive an automated response.

The Kennel Club is an equal opportunities employer and requests all candidates complete an online equal opportunities monitoring form which will be found at the end of the application process. This will help us to monitor selection decisions to assess whether equality of opportunity is being achieved. Any information collated from the these forms will not be used as part of the selection process and will be treated as strictly confidential.

Personal dataIn line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT send us any information that can identify children or any of your sensitive personal data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and/or biometric data) in your CV and application documentation. Following this notice, any inclusion of your sensitive personal data in your CV/application documentation will be understood by us as your express consent to us to use this information. Please ensure that anyone whose details you include, e.g. referees, have given you consent.

If you would like an informal conversation about the role before submitting your application, please contact Eliza Jones or Elizabeth Theobald on 07793 529 508 or at [email protected] or [email protected]

Please note that the closing date for applications is 10th May 2020.

How to apply

Credit: Rachel Oates


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brief for the position of chief executive, the kennel club · pedigree dog breed for them, as well...

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