Boardyear Study Association Accounting Finance.
24 March, 2021
For the Dutch version, click here
As Chairman, Richard is responsible for the policy of Asset | Accounting & Finance and the external communication to parties such as Asset and the University. He also coordinates A&F Investments and the Alumni Committee. In this article, Richard tells you what his job entails and how he spends his days as Chairman of Asset | Accounting & Finance.
In this article, I would like to share with you my story as chairman of perhaps one of the most special years of my life. This is quit a big thing to say, being a former censor of T.S.C. st. Olof, which means that I have spent many evenings and nights behind the bar at Asgard.
I have never regretted my choice for doing a board year. However, I am often asked: “What do you do every day? In this article, I want to answer that and get rid of that question once and for all. I will take you with me in an “average” week as chairman of Asset | Accounting & Finance.
Monday
9.00h: Every Monday we start with the regular board meeting. This starts at 9 AM, assuming that everyone is on time and no one is left in the kitchen to prepare a three-course breakfast. During the meeting, we discuss a lot of different topics; the daily tasks, our committees, events, and all relevant topics on Asset General level.
13.00h: After this meeting, we often have lunch together and then everyone goes back to work on his or her own tasks. When we are not in our rooms, we often work together in smaller groups of two to three.
Tuesday
10.00h: Tuesday morning starts with a meeting at Asset General level, or in other words: GB. This is a meeting with all the chairmen of the Asset departments, the EBT, and the MAK (supported by Asset). Within the Asset General Board, I am the Treasurer. This means that I am the coordinator of all the Treasurers of Asset and have the ultimate responsibility for the financial health of each department and Asset as a whole. GB is led by Joshua Stassen, the current Independent Chairman. Despite Joshua’s heavy Limburg accent, GB is often one of the more enjoyable meetings of the week. You find out what is going on in other departments and what they are up against. Thanks to Simo and Joshua, I can understand Limburg better and better. A board year provides a lot for your CV: soft and hard skills, and even new languages
14.00h: In the afternoon, together with Joshua, I discuss the financial position of the entire association and which strategic plans we want to work on. As chairman, apart from managing my own department, I also have a lot of responsibilities in the general board. This dual responsibility makes my position as chairman a very diverse and challenging position. This is something I personally gain a lot of energy from.
15.00h: Next, I have a meeting with Joyce Ladenstein and Tom van de Louw from Student Career Services and with Mira Gorris and Judith Künneke from the Accountancy department of the university. Simo also joins in. As chairman, I am mainly responsible for the contact with the university. We help each other and spar on various topics such as education, student development, and our formal events. All our meetings are online. Everyone works at home, which sometimes leads to special moments. Joyce’s cat for example regularly disturbs the meeting.
The meetings with all stakeholders not only ensure good contact with the other parties we deal with as Asset | Accounting & Finance, but you also get to know everyone personally and build up nice relationships.
Wednesday (day at the boardroom)
08.00h: Today we can go to the rooms again. To get the most out of the rare boardroom days, I always make sure I’m there at half-past eight. Unfortunately, many A&F boardies beat me in terms of who is there first.
09.30h: This morning I have a meeting with Peter de Goeij, the Academic Director of the Finance Department, and again Joyce joins me. We discuss the usual things and the next edition of the Banking Days. Together with Myron, I am already working hard on the next edition. Thanks to the discussions with Peter and Joyce, I have started to see more and more which Master’s I would like to do. We discuss not only business things, but also often personal things like the weekend, corona and of course my choice of study. At the beginning of the year, I wanted to do the MSc. Accountancy, but this year has changed and I decided that I want to do the MSc. Finance.
“As chairman, I am mainly responsible for the contact with the university. We help each other and spar on various topics such as education, student development and our formal events”.
10.30h – 17.00h: The rest of the day I am busy with smaller tasks and meetings. I discuss with other treasurers the tax rules and I am busy with the organization of the Tilburg Investment Battle in collaboration with my committee A&F Investments. Furthermore, I am preparing the collection of Asset’s membership fees and I have a meeting to discuss Asset’s business model. As a final part of the day, I have an Active Members meeting. During these individual meetings, you get to know the members and discuss how they are doing, both on a personal level and on a committee level, and discuss their coordinator, being another board member. In this way, as chairman, you learn a lot about your own board members and you can guide them. The development of the board is one of the most important and beautiful tasks as chairman. You see your board members grow enormously in six months’ time, and that gives me great satisfaction. Therefore, I dare say that I am proud of my board.
18.00h: In the evening I have dinner and a small beer with a former chairman of A&F, Stijn van de Laar, with whom I can spar a lot and have become very good friends since I have been active at A&F. Both Allard and Stijn have given me a lot of support and advice in my year as a board member.
Thursday
11.00h: Every Thursday, I have the Treasurers Meeting (T.M.). This is a meeting between all treasurers of Asset at which I am present as coordinator. During this meeting, we discuss all financial matters and problems. I join this meeting together with Ella, our own treasurer. Do you want to know what it is like to be Treasurer? You can read it here.
12.00h: This afternoon, I have a meeting with Mark, the treasurer of Asset | SBIT. During this meeting, we discuss a training course for all treasurers. The rest of the day, I answer my emails and again occupy myself with smaller tasks. I also finalize the scripts for the thesis session that we will be organizing on 30 March for the Accountancy and Finance master’s departments.
Friday
11.00h: Today we have a FAN-meeting on the agenda. The FAN (Financial Association Netherlands) is a consultative body of various financial study associations in the Netherlands: the FSA (Amsterdam), FSR (Rotterdam), SCOPE (Maastricht), and R!SK (Groningen). During the meeting, we discuss how things are going in the different cities. You see the similarities and differences between the associations. Sparring about the bigger issues, such as the implementation of online events, is of great added value and puts your own ideas into perspective.
13.00h: We have an appointment at Suitsupply, where we have our board suits made. Only when Myron turns the key of his car… nothing happens. The red fridge has finally broken down. As an alternative, we take the bike. Once we are there, our sizes are taken and we choose the color and fabric from which our suit will be made.
16.00h: Before the weekend starts, I have an evaluation session with Jochem, former Vice-Chairman, with whom I worked together for half a year. Jochem, a spontaneous and nice guy whom I see as a friend for life because of everything we have been through. Big shoes for Joep to fill, but I am confident he can do it. Not only Jochem, but everyone I worked with as a board member has become real friends with whom I hope to stay in touch for a long time to come.
Saturday
08.00h: In the morning, I decide to go running. Besides working hard, your own physical and mental health is very important. Everyone takes care of this in their own way. As chairman, it is important to also take care of your fellow boardies. Make sure they are healthy, cheerful, and happy. A year on the board can demand a lot from you, but ultimately you do it together and for your own development and pleasure.
09.00h: Simo had a drink last night. That’s why it is a good time for an anytimer. The standard procedure is that you throw a text in the board app. Ten minutes later, after much delay and grumbling, the video finally appears. My weekend has started well.
Sunday
11.00h: Sunday is a family day for me. I often visit my grandparents in Lopik. This visit also includes a game of Rummikub, which I always manage to lose.
15.00h: In the afternoon, I often prepare the board meeting and have a hot meal at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. I share many of my stories and my week with my family, who often don’t understand what I do, I notice. However, their enthusiasm is no less. Later in the afternoon, I either go to friends in Utrecht or I go back to Tilburg and the week can start again from the beginning, but never the same, of course.
If you would like to know more about being a board member after reading this, don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail at Chairman@Asset-AccountingFinance.nl or a message on LinkedIn! Through this link, you can also learn more about the specific job opportunities within the board.
