About us
Advovet consultancy is a partnership between Dr Maggie Roberts, a veterinary surgeon and Dominic Sullivan, a lawyer. We both have extensive experience in private practice and in the animal welfare charity sector.
As respected professionals in the sector, we have specialist knowledge and expertise in animal welfare, shelter medicine, legislation, advocacy and governance and understand the challenges that animal welfare organisations face.
Dr Maggie Roberts
Dominic Sullivan
Why has Advovet been formed?
We met while working in the senior management team of a national cat welfare charity and spent many years developing teams and leading on animal welfare, veterinary care, education, advocacy, legal services, property and legacies. We represented the charity in national and international groups and liaised with the devolved governments and the media.
In the course of our work, we came across, and often assisted, smaller organisations that did not have ready access to suitable professional advice. Sadly, some of the groups had become overwhelmed or ran out of money. This inevitably resulted in poor animal welfare and sometimes debt or mental health issues for the people involved. Many people set up charities with the best of intentions and are driven by their passion for the cause. Passion is essential but training and professional support are also vital. It is imperative to set up and develop in the right way, with good governance and animal welfare standards so you can concentrate on your mission.
There are some existing membership groups that can provide basic support or training but they may not have the specific expertise or resources to work on a one-to-one basis with individual organisations. There is need for cost-effective, practical and pragmatic services to help you get the greatest benefit from your precious resources. Investing in your people and infrastructure is essential, not a luxury. Other organisations may require help due to capacity issues and find that there are limited consultancies with the specific expertise for their needs.
Advovet was formed to provide this much needed support.
Why us?
We are passionate experts with extensive experience in the animal charity sector.
We believe in a friendly, open and collaborative approach. We don’t like ‘management speak’ and offer our services in a straightforward and direct manner.
There are some challenging topics to be dealt with such as euthanasia policies, importing animals from abroad for rehoming, founders remaining a trustee/CEO forever etc. We’ve faced these tricky issues many times and can guide you through the options.
We are both experienced, entertaining and thought-provoking speakers and have been involved in training and learning for different groups for many years. We are happy to run sessions with trustees, staff and volunteers on a wide variety of topics.
Are we the right people to meet your needs?
When choosing consultants, you should ask yourselves these questions:
- Do they have sufficient knowledge and experience in the relevant fields?
- Do their values sit comfortably with ours?
- Can we work together?
- Are they good value for money?
We are happy to discuss your needs with you either by phone or online to see if we are the best people to meet your requirements. We will always be honest if we feel that a different sort of consultancy may suit you better. We’re happy to visit you to discuss things in greater detail as the next stage.
We offer a free and informal introductory consultation.