A board year as External Affairs of Asset | Accounting & Finance – Simo Smeets

For the Dutch version, click here

As External Affairs, Simo is responsible for the contact with the current and future partners of Asset | Accounting & Finance. Next to this, he coordinates the Accounting Expedition Committee and the Orientation Committee. He is also responsible for the organization of the Master Experience Days Accountancy and Finance and the FinanceDays. In this article, Simo explains what his position entails and how he has experienced a year as External Affairs of Asset | Accounting & Finance. 

Who am I?

My name is Simo Smeets and I am 22 years old. In the summer of 2020, I completed the Bachelor of Economics & Business Economics at Tilburg University. I am from South Limburg, but I have been living in Tilburg for almost four years now. After the TOP week, I immediately became a member of Asset, first as an active member of Asset | Economics, and later also at Asset | Accounting & Finance. Before my board year, I was part of the investment group A&F Investments and the Sports Committee within A&F.

Why a board year?

Even before my board year, I have always experienced my time at Asset as very pleasant. I soon found out that the events that Asset organizes connect well with the things that I find fun and important. The association offers students a nice mix between formal events, where companies introduce themselves in different ways, and informal events, where you can get to know fellow students better. I soon realized that I wanted to contribute to Asset myself. During the final year of my Bachelor, my orientation to choose the right master began. I found out that I doubted between the Master Accountancy, Financial Economics, and Finance. A board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance would help me to make a good assessment for the Master that I ultimately want to pursue and to develop myself.

“Keeping each other up to date is very important to keep the ship sailing in the right direction.”

Why External Affairs and what does a year like External Affairs look like?

As External Affairs of Asset | Accounting & Finance, I am in close contact with many companies from the Financial sector. This is also the sector in which I expect to work after my Master’s. To make my choice for a Master, it is important to get to know different companies in the field. This has certainly happened during my board year. External Affairs is a position with many variations. No two days are the same. In the summer you start with the summer conversations. You introduce yourself to all partners and, together with your predecessor, tell them what will be organized during the new academic year. In this way, you get to know the companies quickly. You will make new contacts and improve your soft skills very much during this period. As time goes on and the General Members Meeting gets closer, your predecessor will let go more and more and you will have to do more work on your own. You notice that your professional skills get a boost during this period. You become the face of the association for partners and other stakeholders. Good cooperation with the winter External, in my case that was Evelien van den Broek in the first semester and now Myron Boere is of great importance. Every week you plan a meeting together with the winter External to discuss, in addition to the necessary informal things, the state of affairs regarding the business contact. Keeping each other up to date is very important to keep the ship sailing in the right direction.

External Affairs in corona time

When I applied as a board member at Asset | Accounting & Finance last year, we were already in the COVID-19 pandemic. I see it as an extra challenge to organize good events despite the necessary measures. We can conclude from the evaluations of participants of our events that we have certainly succeeded in that this year. In terms of formal events, I am proud of how we, together with the Accounting Expedition Committee, have put together a good online Accounting Expedition. Besides, it is important that we also continue to organize informal events, so that the social cohesion of our members is safeguarded. Naturally, the rules applicable at that time must be taken into consideration when organizing such events. Of course, I hope that next year the events can take place in a physical form again. During the first wave, our office, also called “the rooms” in many Asset members’ vocabulary, was unfortunately closed. Luckily, that decision was reversed at the beginning of 2021 and we can now work a few days a week from our office again. This makes it a lot more fun because you also meet the rest of the Asset board members from time to time. We are namely allowed to be present with a maximum of 15 board members per day. For me, this has been an enormous support. 

What do you do as External Affairs?

As I briefly stated earlier in this article, you deal as External Affairs of Asset | Accounting & Finance with everything that concerns our partners. This involves the acquisition of partners for all our events and social media exposure and keeping our career portal Career Platform Tilburg up to date. As an External, it is important that you can bundle the opinions and goals of multiple stakeholders so that you keep everyone happy. As an External, you also have a seat in the Acquisition Meeting of Asset as a whole. This is a weekly meeting in which the external affairs of the entire Asset are discussed. This is often the most looking forward meeting because you always go in well prepared and have to come up with good arguments to achieve your goals. In addition to all these meetings, you are responsible for coordinating the Accounting Expedition Committee and the Orientation Committee. This combination creates a nice mix between formal and informal.

What are the most important development points as External Affairs?

Over the past year, I have learned many things. One of the most important things is working in a team. Throughout the year, due to the change that takes place in both summer and winter, you work closely together with the eight other board members. With all nine together, you run Asset | Accounting & Finance and you become a close team. In any case, I will gain eight new friends for life from my board year.

In short, External Affairs is a challenging and diverse position in which you will gain a lot of good contacts in both the business world and at the university and you will further develop your skills! I realize that my board year is already coming to an end. In any case, I look back on an incredibly educational experience that will certainly help me in my future studies and career.

If you, in response to this article, would like to know more about External Affairs or about the experiences that I gained, please contact me via ExternalAffairs2@Asset-AccountingFinance.nl or via my LinkedIn for a cup of coffee and, who knows, a piece of Limburgse pie!