Animal charity boss goes undercover for Channel 4
Howard Lake | 18 July 2011 | News
The Chief Executive of animal welfare organisation The Blue Cross will appear in tomorrow night’s Channel 4 programme ‘Undercover Boss’, the first time the TV series has featured a charity boss. Now in its third series, Undercover Boss presents six company leaders who leave the comfort of their offices “to get their hands dirty in an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of the organisation they lead”.
Kim Hamilton, The Blue Cross CEO, poses as a volunteer at the charity’s adoption centres and hospitals, working incognito alongside kennel workers and vet nurses to care for sick and homeless animals. Over seven days she takes on the roles of animal welfare assistant, vet nurse, hospital receptionist, ambulance driver and educational speaker.
Hamilton said: “When I was approached by the producers of Undercover Boss, I was instantly intrigued by the idea of working amongst our staff and volunteers on the ground. I wanted to find the unsung heroes of the organisation, ask what issues are important to them, explore their successes and frustrations, and look at how effective we are at what we do.”
Of her experience she commented: “In my time as a city banker and chief executive, I’ve often endured tough working days, long hours and impossible decisions, but I’ve never experienced such physical and emotional exhaustion as those days undercover at The Blue Cross. I’ve always known that our people are hard working and dedicated, but I had no idea how truly passionate they are for their work and to what lengths they will go to do their bit for animals in need.”
‘Undercover Boss’ airs on Tuesday 19 July at 21.00 on Channel 4.
www.channel4.com/programmes/undercover-boss/episode-guide/series-3/episode-3
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.