A board year as Treasurer of Asset | Accounting & Finance – Bo Janssen

For the Dutch version, click here

As Treasurer, it is Bo’s responsibility to control the finances of Asset | Accounting & Finance. Besides that, she coordinates the Activities, Alumni, CityTrip, and Investment Night Committee. In this article, Bo describes what it means to be the Treasurer of Asset | Accounting & Finance and how she has experienced her board year so far. 

Why did you choose to do a board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance?

When I started with my Bachelor Business Economics in Tilburg, I didn’t know a lot of people here. Because of that, I decided to become Active at Asset. I started by joining a committee at Asset | Marketing and because I enjoyed this a lot, I decided to join Asset | Accounting & Finance (A&F) as well. I considered doing a board year for quite some time, as I really enjoyed my time at A&F and wanted to boost my CV. Although I had not fully decided yet on which master I wanted to follow, Accounting and Finance seemed very interesting fields to me. To orientate better on which master to follow and to get in contact with firms in these fields, I decided to apply for the position as Treasurer of the board of A&F.

What does your year look like and how is the experience so far?

This year really feels like it’s flying by and when I look back, I already have great memories of the things we’ve done so far. The application procedure for the summer positions started in April. When I found out I was going to be the new Treasurer, the announcement couldn’t come soon enough for me and it was really hard to keep my plans for this year a secret. After the announcement, the transition period started in which I learned what tasks I was going to have as Treasurer. Because most departments within Asset switch boards in the summer, you start with a large new group in the Esplanade building in August. During the Announcement and Constitution Drinks, you will get to know your fellow board members of other departments, which will create a nice atmosphere at the rooms of Esplanade. 

When my board year started in the summer, I was still very busy organizing the studytrip to South Korea together with the StudyTour Committee. With the start of my new function, my responsibility and the number of tasks increased considerably and for some time I questioned if I could sufficiently do all tasks simultaneously. Eventually, this turned out fine and it came in quite handy that as Treasurer I had the overview of all the expenses and credit card usage during the StudyTour. However, I had to watch out for keeping the A&F card and my personal card apart while doing this.

After a couple months already, the application of new board members was a discussion topic in our weekly board meetings. I felt like we had just started, so the idea of a new group coming was not on my mind yet. Therefore, it felt quite strange to me to look at a new Candidate Board with whom we were going to form the new board. Now that we have just started with the new board members, I realize how quick this year is passing by. Half a year has already passed, and suddenly we are the ‘older’ half of the board and soon we will start to look for the people who are going to replace us. Nevertheless, I do like this semi-annual board switch. The new board members bring in fresh ideas and I’m convinced we will make the upcoming semester a great success!

What are your tasks as Treasurer of A&F and what does your day look like?

As Treasurer you mainly focus on the financial situation and the administration of the association. To do this well, you must be able to communicate well with your fellow board members and the treasurers of the various committees. As Treasurer, you also meet with the auditing committee every quarter. They audit your financial administration and advise you about the financial situation of the association.

This range in different tasks makes it quite difficult for me to describe what an average day looks like. Something that takes place every day is the fulfillment of my task list. At the start of every week, I set up a list of things I want to achieve the upcoming week and most of the days I start with the tasks that are on this list.  

What did you learn so far in your board year?

Besides the responsibilities I have as a Treasurer, I also coordinate several committees. I really like brainstorming with the committees about setting up certain events and then working towards them. In this enjoyment I notice that it is quite hard for me to only coordinate the committee without taking on tasks myself as well, but I am currently working on finding my balance in this. Because you’re focused on various events, you’re always working on several tasks simultaneously. To keep these various tasks running, you must have a good overview of this. Additionally, I find it important to remain my own social life besides my board activities. Although it can be quite hard to plan this out, I think I’m getting better at it. 

Moreover, I am still undecided about which master to pursue. Initially I thought I had made up my mind, but lately I’ve started to doubt again. Therefore, I am happy that I postponed my masters’ choice and still have some time to orientate to find out what I find interesting. The events that A&F organizes significantly helped me with this. Due to these events, I met several companies and got a much better overview of the job possibilities that lie ahead. 

What is your greatest accomplishment?

My committees! I enjoy working on our events with my committee members and I enjoy seeing everyone again at our activities and drinks. Besides that, we organized a CityTrip for the first time this year with A&F and I’m happy with all the positive feedback we have received about the trip. 

Do you have any tips for your successor?

Don’t be afraid to ask for questions and advise. Try not to lose yourself in your board year, but make sure to keep doing your own things as well and enjoy all the moments that this year will offer you!

If you would like to know more about my board year after reading this article, feel free to bring a visit to room E1.07 and ask your questions during a cup of coffee! In addition, you can get to know more about the specific division of roles within the board via this link.