Douglas Jackson talks about his life as an accountant & Rotarian

Rotarian Douglas Jackson spoke to St. Andrews Rotary Club about his work as a Chartered Accountant, who in 1975 started the first C.A.  Practice in Scotland devoting itself to 100% insolvency.  No tax, no general practice, no financial services and at that time no regulations. The firm of Douglas Laing & Jackson specialised in corporate recovery and personal insolvency work. Business is a matter of seizing opportunities as they arise but this contains a risk factor which sometimes can go wrong, hence the need for insolvency practitioners.  The Company was involved in running companies, resurrecting them, saving sections, saving employment – that was the good side – bad and difficult times were when they arrived too late and a burial was a necessity. He gave examples of the many companies he had helped during the thirty eight years he ran the company.  Douglas said that today there is more red tape, regulation, monitoring of IP’s so the current insolvency practitioner does not have the freedom which he enjoyed.  The introduction of the Transfer of Undertakings Legislation, while good for employees has had a detrimental effect on the ability to save or sell on businesses. His company merged with Stoy Hayward and from 1999 until he retired in 2012 Douglas was a partner in Moore Stephens CA where he was Head of Insolvency for Scotland. He was also on the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland Investigation Committee for 25 years.

When not working Douglas has been involved for 27 years with the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust and has been Rotarian since 1977 where he has held many important  positions – in District 1230 he was District Treasurer, Vice Chairman, District Governor and Polio Plus Chairman.  At Rotary GB&I he was a member of the General Council and Finance Committee.  At Rotary International, a member of the Glasgow Convention Organisation Committee, Voting Delegate to The Council on Legislation, and Humanitarian Grant Cadre Advisor.  He spent time in Anaheim with 550 District Governors from around the world working, making decisions and offering solutions to problems which meant he really saw and understood Rotary in a Global sense. He served as Chairman for ten years on the Board of Rotary Residential Care Centres for Cerebral Palsy.  Now retired he had come to St. Andrews for a very well deserved rest – playing golf!

Gordon Wowk gave the vote of thanks for a most interesting and entertaining talk.