A Chat with… Tim (Member)
Tim is the Founder of Ancoram, a sustainability practice working with FTSE 350 companies and some of the largest private equity-backed groups. He started out as an accountant, qualified with KPMG in 2003, before working at Deloitte and some of the biggest companies in the world (HSBC, AIG, RSA Insurance Group, National Grid to name a few). Tim’s work has taken him from the City to war zones and he’s worked with businesses in pretty much every industry. He discovered an unusual passion for technical accounting around 20 years ago – the complex frameworks that make most accountants’ eyes glaze over became his playground, and from there he transitioned into sustainability reporting with National Grid in 2016.
Tell us a bit about your role – what’s your favourite part of the job? What do you do day-to-day etc?
My job is to simplify sustainability – helping businesses transform their ESG reporting from compliance to competitive advantage. Ancoram is quite literally anchored in the sustainability conversation (Ancoram is Latin for anchor, but also hope, refuge, support). Day to day, I’m helping companies prepare for the tsunami of sustainability requirements on the way and identifying the ESG risks concentrated in their business and supply chain – whether that’s optimising controls and governance, streamlining reporting processes or performing materiality assessments.
What’s the most interesting thing you have worked on recently?
I was in Malta running workshops for a major airline’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) subsidiary, which is coming in scope of a major EU directive (the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive). I love planes and airports, and it was the first time I’d seen aircraft taken apart in front of me. But it was more the fact that I got some very butch, macho engineers to think about how a woman at the start of her career might experience life working there, and what might matter most to her as a stakeholder!
What inspired you to start your own company?
I wanted to build a sustainable business that wasn’t founded solely on profit and leave a generational legacy. My aspiration is that Ancoram outlasts my existence on this earth – to become the Patagonia of professional services firms. It was important to me that Ancoram be an accountancy practice regulated by ACCA – I wanted to demonstrate commitment to the highest principles of integrity and governance.
What has been your proudest achievement so far either in your personal life or at work?
Delivering a keynote speech at the House of Lords last year was certainly a highlight – but marrying my husband surpasses everything else!
What do you think sets you apart from your competitors?
I don’t really see them as competitors, but… unlike a lot of the consultants in the Big 4 firms, I’ve actually led implementation programmes at scale, from a £30m transformation programme at a FTSE 100 insurance business to setting up a shared service centre for a privately-owned healthcare group. I blend both the technical knowledge with the practical execution. Most of all, I practice what I preach – I say what I mean, and I do what I say.
What is your go-to productivity hack?
Using the Motion AI app has been a revelation – I use it for pretty much everything. I keep a timer on my desk for when I want to do 25 minute “pomodoro” sprints, head down, just getting stuff done.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Oooh – this is a tough question! My two favourites are “If they don’t get you, they don’t deserve you”, and “Comparison is the thief of joy”. So much of our lives is spent trying to gauge where we sit in relation to the rest of humanity – my sole ‘competitor’ is my potential, and whether I’m closer to achieving it today than I was yesterday.
If you could have lunch with any three people (dead or alive) who would they be and why?
Ouch, that’s a hard question! There are so many I’d love to meet but I think my top three would include Oprah Winfrey, to learn how she helps people feel the absolute best they can be; the people behind the scenes at Coldplay to learn how they transformed from merely a band to an unforgettable immersive experience; and Professor Brian Cox, to buy him a beer and ask him to explain the detail of how the universe formed.
What is your favourite thing about working at Link?
The people. From the lovely Raj who sits next to me, to Sam at Hygge Bikes, not to mention Alice, Suki and Amy at Linkspaces, to the receptionists out front, Deane in the gym and Bella and Joy in the café/restaurant area – they’re all brilliant people with unique stories I enjoy hearing. We’re on this planet for a short period of time, it’s the people we interact with every day that make it so worthwhile.
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