Welcome to another article on the Channels Online page. This week we want to focus on the people governing our beloved study association – Asset | Strategy & Logistics. We would like to introduce the board members to you and explain a bit about what it means to be in the board. We hope you enjoy!
Meet the board!
The board of 2019 – 2020 consists out of the following persons:
Elle (23 years old) – Chairman
- Known as the Chairman.
- Currently studying the Master Strategic Management (Entrepreneurship track).
- Likes Nollie.
Britt (24 years old) – External Affairs Officer / Secretary
- Known as the multitasker.
- Currently studying the Master Strategic Management (Entrepreneurship track).
- Likes the DJ skills of Matisse.
Wessel (22 years old) – Treasurer
- Best known by being very punctual and precise.
- Currently studying the Master Strategic Management (Consultancy track).
- Likes watching sports like Formula One, soccer, and American football with friends and organizing (in)formal events.
Boris (21 years old) – External Affairs Officer
- Best known as always being social and enthusiastic.
- Currently studying the bachelor Business Economics.
- Likes doing activities with friends such as: going out, hanging out and playing soccer.
Matisse (22 years old) – Vice Chairman
- Best known as that social funny guy (with DJ skills).
- Currently studying the Master Strategic Management (Entrepreneurship track).
- Likes watching sports like soccer and Formula One, social events, and organizing events.
Now you know a little bit more about them, so let’s move on to their jobs, workdays and responsibilities. They were asked what their job (title) encompassed and this is their response:
Elle – Chairman : As Chairman, you oversee that the association and its members develop in a way that adheres to our policy. In the beginning of the board year, we as a board made this policy. In addition, I am the first point of call for the association and main responsible. This includes also for the University, so I maintain contact with the Academic Directors and Education Coordinators of the Master programs Strategic- and Supply Chain Management and our contact person of Career Services. I have a biweekly meeting with them. My role is also to lead board meetings, advisory councils and department member meetings. As chairman of a department, you are present in two boards, in the board of Asset | Strategy & Logistics and in the general board of Asset Tilburg. In this board, you represent your department. Every week on Tuesday morning, the general board of Asset Tilburg has a meeting in which all chairmen of the departments are present. As member of the board of Asset Tilburg you also have a portfolio to work on. I am the Public Relation Coordinator of Asset Tilburg so Asset Events, coordinating online and offline promotional activities and the lead of all Vice-Chairmen are some of my tasks as well. Luckily, you have also time to coordinate several committees; I coordinate the Promotion Committee, the Supply Chain Dinner Committee and the Friends of S&L Committee.
Britt – External Affairs Officer / Secretary : As External Affairs Officer I am responsible for all contact between Asset S&L and companies. I mainly focus on finding participating companies for events, posting their vacancies and selling other types of partnerships. This year I have organised events such as the Consultancy Days, The Strategy Dinner and The Master Experience Days. Each week, we also have an Acquisition Meetings with all the external affairs officers of Asset. During this meeting we discuss all Asset-wide acquisition updates and Asset events. As a Secretary, I am responsible for taking creating the monthly Asset mail, handling subscriptions and creating the year planning. Furthermore, a big responsibility is to make sure that our association is GDPR complaint. I am also the main contact person of the association for other organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce and our sister associations.
Wessel – Treasurer : I am responsible for the financial health of Asset | Strategy & Logistics. On a day-to-day basis, I am working on all financial responsibilities that an association should take care of. Guaranteeing the continuity of Asset | Strategy & Logistics is my main responsibility. Most of the time, you will see me working with a program called Twinfield. All Treasurers of Asset use this accounting program. All the things you learn at accountancy courses can be found in this program, which makes it a real practical addition to my previous studies. Furthermore, I am responsible for the financial health of Asset General, the overarching association of Asset | Strategy & Logistics. Together with the Treasurers of other Asset departments we make sure Asset General stays financially healthy. Of course, I am also responsible for organizing events with my committees. I am the coordinator of the Supply Chain Days Committee, the Supply Chain Battle Committee, the Sports Committee, the Male Committee, and the Grammar Committee. I am also the coordinator of the board of AlumniOS, the alumni association for Strategic Management and Supply Chain Management.
Boris – External Affairs Officer : My main task is to be one of the two contact persons on behalf of Asset | Strategy & Logistics for companies that want to collaborate with us. I contact companies for participation in our formal events and potential internships / traineeships / vacancies that are relevant for our students. Besides that I also do a lot of other tasks for the Board. Besides being an External Affairs Officer, I am also the Social Media Chef of Asset | Strategy Logistics and Coordinator of several committees, like the Activities Committee, Consultancy Days Committee, Education Committee and Study trip Committee. I even coordinate the faculty wide committee of Asset, the Business Economics Committee.
Matisse – Vice Chairman : I am responsible for coordination between active members and the promotion of our association, Asset | Strategy & Logistics and I will replace the Chairman when she is absent. On a day-to-day basis, I am working on the marketing and promotion of our events and the association and I am responsible for keeping the website up-to-date of our association. So most of the time, you will see me working with the programs InDesign and Photoshop for the marketing and Pimcore for the website. Furthermore I am responsible, together with all the Vice-Chairmen of all the other Asset departments, for the marketing and promotion of Asset General, the overarching association of Asset | Strategy & Logistics. I am also part of the BE-cluster, which means that I am responsible for the promotion and events of Asset general among business economics students. Next to all of the above, I am also responsible for organizing events with my committees. I am the coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Event Committee, the Design Committee and the Channels Online Committee.
Motivation
Now we know the board members a little better and we have some more details about their jobs. So now let us move on to their motivation. Why did they join the board? Their motivations for joining the board are mainly for professional reasons like gaining professional skills, acquiring experience in a management position, gaining practical skills and knowledge that can be used in their career, increasing their (in)formal network or figuring out which career path to walk on later on. However, literally all of them pointed out that they also joined to board, because they expected it to be fun. Looking back this year, all of the board members stressed out the amount of fun they experienced by joining the board. They explicitly state that being in the board together feels like being part of a family where you can have a great time together doing fun challenges while also accomplishing plenty of successes, since you are running an organization together.
“Joining the Board of Asset | Strategy & Logistics is one of the best decisions I have made so far!
Wessel – 2020
“I wanted to enjoy my last year of studying in the best way possible!”
Britt – 2020
Being in the board can be a very educational and fun experience which can give you lots of advantages in your future career, but what does it mean to be part of the board? This is also the questions that our boardies had to answer. For most of our board members the answer was quite clear. Being part of the board means that you are part of a dedicated management team of your own company that gives their best shot every day for the sake of the students, the members and the continuity of the association. It feels like being part of family where you aim for the best results and the most fun possible. Sometimes it is a very busy period, but fortunately you are busy with fun and interesting things like organizing events.
Convince me
So far it sounds like all fun and games, so it is time to get a bit more serious. I can imagine that being in the board can be tough sometimes. So why not ask it directly to them: Is it tough being in the board and why? The answer is yes and no. Depends on what you call tough. Most wouldn’t call it tough, but more intense. The reason for this is, because it is different from following lectures or studying all day. This job entails 8 hours of work a day just like any other full time job would. It might be a new lifestyle which you need to get used to. Furthermore, you are constantly busy with your association and stress might test you from time to time in the form of something going wrong the last minute. However, these moments are the ones where you learn the most. So in conclusion, not so much tough as it is intense. Finding a balance between partying in the evening and being on time in the morning can require a learning curve, but this is where the real learning experience begins.
We heard some great experiences so far. But one might still be wondering why should someone want to join the board? We got that covered for you as well. Here are some of their answers:
Britt – External Affairs Officer / Secretary : It is a great way to boost your resume, because extracurricular activities are really interesting to companies. Next to this, you can get some great experience which is valuable for your future, you definitely learn a lot. But most importantly, because it really is a lot of fun!
Wessel – Treasurer : The balance between being professional and having a fun time is the perfect opportunity to find out what you want in your professional career! You should want to consider a board year when you want to gain hands-on experience and want to see what running a small company is like. The informal drinks and gaining a lot of new friends are some really nice things to add to that!
Boris – External Affairs Officer : In my opinion, you want to join a board, because you are very eager to improve yourself on a lot of different levels. The skills you learn during a board year are very similar to the skills you need in your future career, think about making hard decisions, leading meetings, crisis management, pitching your ideas or association and many more.
Matisse – Vice Chairman : This is the best opportunity to find out what you want in your professional career. You meet a lot of companies, expand your network and develop new skills and knowledge. It is also a great opportunity to see what running a small company is like. Furthermore, informal activities and gaining a lot of new friends is really nice!
Plans
One of the last things that was asked to the board members is what their aim is with the board this year. This years aim involves serving as many students as possible by providing study support with several training courses, increasing their social network by organizing lots of formal and informal events, and overall preparing students the best way possible for the labor market. Additionally, an important aim for all board members each year is finding motivated and suitable successors for next year’s board. Are you interested yet?
One final remark
Some final advice from our Chairman Elle: “If you are interested in doing a board year, but you are still doubting, talk to some (ex) board members!” She was doubting herself before she joined the board and she states that you can only make the best decision by having enough information.
If you have any questions about a board year or about what it entails to be in one of their positions, then do not hesitate to contact them via email or just walk by one of their rooms E1.19 & E1.20 (Esplenade building) for a coffee and a chat. Here is a link for their contact information!
“Do a board year, it will be the best year of your life!
Boris – 2020
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