The sector's great and good were out in force last night for NCVO deputy chief Ben Kernighan's leaving drinks. As was the feelgood factor, says Tania Mason.
‘Leaving do’s are usually warm fuzzy occasions awash with goodwill and bonhomie because, let’s face it, those who like you are genuinely pleased for you about your new job and those who don’t are happy to see you go.
The leaving do of Ben Kernighan, Sir Stuart Etherington’s capable deputy at NCVO who is taking the top job at the National Union of Students next month, was no exception. Spilling out the door into the car park were NCVO and Volunteering England colleagues past and present, charity chiefs, civil servants, consultants, journalists, suppliers, and of course a decent smattering of the sector’s umbrella fraternity.
It’s also customary, at such dos, for the leaving subject’s boss to say a few nice words. Sir Stuart did not disappoint. But first he cracked a few jokes – the best recalled the time that a fellow umbrella body chief contacted him to rave about a speech she had just heard his deputy give at a conference.
“It was amazing, he had them crying, he had them cheering, what a speech,” she reportedly said. “But Ben wasn’t speaking at that conference,” Stuart replied. “Oh no, sorry. It was Peter Kyle,” apologised Caron.
But it was Ben’s own speech that really stole the show. After cantering through some hilarious highlights of his 15 years at the organisation, he served up a host of “wild generalisations” about various categories of people in the room.
Among the highlights were being introduced to the Queen as Mrs Sylvie Adams; attending a G8 meeting where someone said the only useful things the banks had ever done was invent ATM machines, and attending a Cabinet meeting where Sir Stuart became locked into a deep conversation with David Cameron about the VAT implications of shared services “at a level of detail that was clearly unfamiliar to them both”.
His wild generalisations were equally amusing. “Headhunters, I think you are all wonderful.
“Funders – I put you into the category of colleagues that are among the most intelligent, the most companionable, and the most arrogant. Now, who’s here tonight – oh look at that, I only invited the intelligent and companionable ones.
“Former staff of NCVO – over the years I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to develop and support people at NCVO, and it was only when the fifth person I had mentored went on to become a CEO that I started to think 'hmmmm….'
“Journalists – to those that reported a description of me as ‘pale, male and stale’ – thank you, you know who you are.” Yes Ben, I do.
And of course no NCVO social event would be complete without a sly dig at their colleagues upstairs. After an anecdote about the importance of voluntary trusteeship, Kernighan said pointedly: “Acevo might be able to give charismatic speeches, but they don’t always get the policy right.”
But the speeches, funny as they both were, were about more than raising a laugh. The parting tributes that both these senior figures paid to each other were genuinely touching, the affection plain to see. About Stuart, Ben began: “What’s not to like about a man with a house in Italy?” After the laughter subsided, he went on to say that he had attended at least 250 senior management team meetings during his NCVO tenure, and had looked forward to every one of them for two reasons: “First, I knew I would learn something, and second, I knew that Stuart would make me laugh.”
He concluded: “He is an exceptional leader. Stuart, I look forward to continuing to have a close working relationship and friendship with you.”
For his part, Stuart described Ben as an “astonishing” deputy and added that he had thought he would one day become chief executive of the organisation, though he admitted drily “there was probably an expectation that I might go sooner”.
And he concluded with the kind of comment that anybody would be proud to hear from their erstwhile boss. “Ben has been a great colleague to me and a great friend. I could not have wished for a better deputy chief executive.
"In fact, he is irreplaceable."
Click thumbnails below for larger images. All photos courtesy of Tesse Akpeki.
