For the Dutch version, click here As Chairman, Allard is responsible for the policy of Asset | Accounting & Finance and external communication to parties such as Asset and the University. He also coordinates A&F Investments and the CityTrip committee. In this article, Allard explains what his position entails and how he experiences a year as Chairman of Asset | Accounting & Finance. Why did you choose to do a board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance? When I joined Asset | Accounting & Finance in my first year I never thought I was going to do a board year. At the time, I was much more concerned with getting my BSA than thinking further about my future. As I progressed in my bachelor Business Economics and I became more active at Asset | Accounting & Finance, for me it seemed more and more fun to do a board year and to view the association from a different perspective. In addition, you also learn a lot from a board year. You learn what it is like to run a kind of company and thus gain a kind of management experience that you can hardly gain with, for example, an internship. I chose to do a board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance (A&F), because after this year I will study Accountancy and can, therefore, come into contact with various companies in this sector. At first, I had the ambitions to become a treasurer, but as the application procedure progressed, I nevertheless chose to become Chairman. “You learn what it is like to run a kind of company and thus gain a kind of management experience that you can hardly gain with, for example, an internship.” What does your year look like and how is the experience so far? The applications started in April, which resulted in me becoming the Chairman for the academic year 2019-2020. At first, I was quite reluctant to become Chairman, because Chairman sounds like something very serious and with a lot of responsibility, but after a number of conversations with other board members I was assured that I could do it. From July onwards I fully participated, first under the wings of my predecessor Stijn, who immediately took me everywhere from the beginning. The conveyance period is a fun, but above all educational time in which many impressions come at you and many things are done. In July, you will also write the policy for the upcoming academic year together with the other board members, which I have to present at the General Members Meeting. After the General Members Meeting, you can quickly join the flow of the year. Many events come your way, fun drinks and tough meetings. Before you know it, you already talk about the successors of Twan, Daniek and Steyn in the weekly board meeting. That makes you think about how fast a year actually flies and what you have experienced up to that point. As Chairman you also have the board of Asset where you take a seat. That makes the position of Chairman fun and challenging, because you are not only dealing with the position of A&F, but also with the position of other departments and Asset as a whole. You have to be able to look from different perspectives to make the right decision. Since I have an affinity with financial data, I chose the position of treasurer there. This fulfils the ambitions of treasurer, which I had when initially applying for a board year. What are your tasks as Chairman and what does your average day look like? As Chairman you are responsible for leading the weekly board meetings, policy meetings, General Members Meeting, and the meeting of the Advisory Board. In addition, you are also on the board of Asset and you are responsible for a portfolio within that board. The Chairman is responsible for writing and complying with the established policy. An average day is difficult to describe since every day is different, but almost every day there is a meeting on the agenda. Beyond that, you have to read and write a lot of updates, prepare for meetings, and help fellow board members where needed. I also attend the meeting of A&F Investments, our investment team, every other week. In this meeting, I learn a lot about the stock market and how you can value companies based on the available figures. Although A&F Investments did not immediately suit my personal interests, I did appreciate the team for the high degree of professionalism and enthusiasm of the members. I think the CityTrip meetings are one of the best meetings of the week. This is because I love to travel and this edition was the first edition of the CityTrip. Do you have any tips for your successor? Don’t forget to enjoy all the things you do in your board year. A board year is over before you know it, and you want to be able to look back on it with a lot of joy! 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.
Lustrum IV Gold Rush
This year Asset | Accounting & Finance celebrates her twentieth birthday. This lustrum was celebrated extensively with a number of festive activities in the spring of 2019. I had the honour to organize these lustrum activities together with my great committee. During the lustrum, we organized multiple activities and events. Our first activity was the lustrum weekend in Cologne. We departed by bus to this destination, known for the Dom, on Friday April 12 at noon. During the first activity, the crazy 88, participants could immediately get to know the city. After a tasteful dinner, alumni could relive their old memories together with the now active members through a beercantus. Led by the cantus band it became a great party for everyone. The next day we started with rafting on the river Rhine. There was still quite a fresh breeze for April, but that certainly did not spoil the fun! Having warmed up after this activity, we were off to exploring Kölsche beer in some of the numerous ‘Brauhäuser’ in the city. The great atmosphere of these beerhouses continued during the diner in Em Kölsche Boor, where we prepared ourselves for the upcoming night whilst enjoying drinks served by a temperamental Italian waiter. After a short refreshment break in our hostel, we went to night club Wiener Steffie where we delved further into German culture. This weekend was a forerunner for the festive lustrum week starting on the 6th of May with our first informal day. This splashing water activity made some of us discover their unrevealed skills. True surf and kneeboard talents were born during this activity. This wateractivity left us with quite an appetite, which was taken away by a lovely diner at Bolle and a drink at the Nachtwacht afterwards. “Hereafter, the almanac was presented, a collection of memories of the past five year, which we are very proud of.” The official opening of the fourth lustrum was in the evening of the next day. I had the honour to be chairman this evening. After I explained the achievements of the committee and the theme ‘Gold Rush’, it was time to introduce the first speaker. Cees Martens started by telling about the merger of the associations that would later become Asset after which FST (Financial Studyassociation Tilburg) continued as Asset | Accounting & Finance. Cees was followed by Lasse Blazejewski, Independent Chairman of Asset. He shed some light on the relations between the different departments and Asset | Accounting & Finance. The last spearker, Stijn van de Laar, shared his view on Asset | Accounting & Finance nowadays from his role as the chairman and ended with thanking our lustrum partners WVDB Advisors and Accountants and Kasparov: Intermediary in Financials. Hereafter, the almanac was presented, a collection of memories of the past five year, which we are very proud of. The second informal day took place on Wednesday May 8. We gathered at the city brewery 013 to get a tour of the brewery and hear some interesting stories about the brewing process in a boat of the city brewery. Pleased with this interesting knowledge and some tasteful beers, we headed of to the Heuvel Gallery to have diner. The barbecue buffet was needed for the second beercantus of the lustrum we had afterwards. Despite the musical qualities of the band, we sure had a great night. A lunch in the Esplanade building the next day, helped us to recover again. A part of the committee travelled to Baarlo in the early Saturday morning. It was time to prepare the castle for the guests for the gala that night. After spending several hours on the goodies, the red carpet and all the decorations, we were ready for the guests to check in. After some time to change, everyone was welcome for the opening drink, where everyone could enjoy of the oysters. After the opening drink, a group picture was made in the castle garden and we moved to the diner room. We had a four course meal accompanied by some jazz music. After the dinner, the group moved to the chapel for the big party. At the start, everyone received a glass of champagne from the champagne tower, which everyone could enjoy during the performance of the band. Together with the unlimited range of cocktails and all the other drinks, the organization has made it a spectacular gala. Finally, I would like to thank the committee and the coordinator for successfully organizing the fourth lustrum of Asset | Accounting & Finance. Daniek, Daphne, Janine, Linsey, Pieter, Sem, Thijs and Shaiana, we did it!
A board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance – Stijn van de Laar, Chairman
Next to being a student I wanted to do something more than study, go out and do sports, I joined Asset | Accounting & Finance and started with an informal committee, namely Faces Online to familiarize myself with the association. In the second semester I joined a formal committee, the Finance Expedition as well because I enjoyed working within this association. It was an easy choice when I was called after that year with the question if I wanted to become a member of the board. After obtaining my bachelor’s degree I could start. The transition period is a fun and especially educational period. You arrive in a new setting, which of course takes some getting used to. My predecessor Krijn involved me in all affairs and meetings right from the beginning. Since you will have to learn the tricks of the trade it is important that you ask many questions. Especially by asking questions you will understand why certain decisions are made or how you can tackle a problem correctly. Furthermore, during the summer you and your board will write the policy for the upcoming year. During the General Members Assembly the policy is assessed but it is also a test for yourself. As a Chairman you must present the policy and therefore be prepared for critical questions that can be asked. “Personal development within the board is very important and you, as chairman, can play a major role in this.” Each Monday I lead the board meeting from A&F. In this meeting we discuss what happened in the past week and what the plans are for the upcoming week. This will be one of the few moments the entire board discusses matters together. Since many topics will be discussed during this meeting, keeping an overview and maintaining structure is important. As a chairman, you must be aware of all developments within the board and the association. In addition, personal development within the board is very important and you, as chairman, can play a major role in this. Holding personal conversations with all board members throughout the year is a good way to see how they develop and improve their skills. It is great to see how this progress results in better collaboration and therefore in a better operating association as well. Within the association members are almost always the most important stakeholders and these members drop by the rooms every day. Therefore, I think it is important to have a chat with them to know how they are doing. This contributes to a relaxed and informal atmosphere within the association. Moreover, you are also aware of what is going on within the association. The social aspect of your board year is certainly a big plus. In a very short time you will get to know many people and soon your agenda will be full of activities. You get a whole network of people from the association and other boards but of course you will also have to maintain the relationship with your circle of friends and family. Managing your time will be difficult sometimes. However, with good a planning you have enough time for yourself and I also try to exercise as much as possible. “By challenging myself with taking this step I was able to learn a lot and develop myself in various areas.” Finally, there are many external parties that A&F has to deal with as an association. The most important one is Asset and its six other departments. As a Chairman of A&F you are a board member of the General Board of Asset as well. This is a separate board, but is built bottom-up. This means that the departments determine the policy and this is coordinated by Asset. It is my job as a Chairman to keep an eye on this and I also represent the opinion of A&F during the weekly General Board Meeting on Tuesday morning. Furthermore, every chairman of the General Board of Asset has a portfolio. Given my affinity with the financial sector, I have taken on the Finance portfolio and am therefore the Treasurer. This means that I am responsible for the bookkeeping and financial matters regarding Asset. I also lead the Treasurer Meeting within Asset. All treasurers of the Asset departments join this meeting and the financial matters within Asset will be discussed. You will also regularly meet with people who hold high positions within the departments of Accountancy and Finance at Tilburg University. Furthermore, you will represent A&F in the Financiële Associatie Nederland (FAN), which is a collaboration between the five largest financial study associations in the Netherlands. The Chairmen of the four other associations meet to discuss problems and share best practices. As a Chairman you are the face of the association and this requires a lot of confidence. In the beginning I thought this function would be too much work and seemed out of my comfort zone. However, by challenging myself with taking this step I was able to learn a lot and develop myself in various areas. In this way I have become more critical, including on myself, am not afraid to ask many questions and have a better idea of where I want to work. A board year is more than just an addition to your CV. If you want to know more about my board year, don’t hesitate to visit room E1.07 to ask your questions while enjoying a cup of coffee!
a board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance – Luc van den Hurk, External Affairs
I realised that my time as a student would end soon when I was about to sign the contract for a thesis internship. I would have only been 22 years old if I graduated for my Master Accountancy at that moment, and from that point onwards I would have to focus on my postmaster. I felt like my study time had just started and was coming to an end too soon. However, at that moment I was asked whether I was interested in doing a board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance. This would be the perfect opportunity to extend my time as a student with another year. Besides that, I knew a board year would bring me a lot of experience. This was the most important reason for me on deciding to do a board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance. Once started, it became clear to me what a board year looks like. It depends very much on your function, but in my function as External Affairs I am, among other things, responsible for communicating with more than 70 business contacts, together with the other External Affairs. Furthermore, I have to organise various recruitment events and I am also a coordinator of a few committees. In my opinion, the variety of tasks is what makes a board year so great! The most important task as External Affairs is to maintain relations with current partners but also to acquire potential new partners. Since our many partners are the strength of our association, I think it is an interesting challenge to maintain these contacts. You have a lot of business meetings during which you will learn how to approach new contacts and how to maintain these in a formal manner. You need to make clear to your partners what we, as an association, have to offer and it gives a huge boost when companies decide to work with us! As External Affairs you will also attend the weekly Acquisition Meeting (AM), together with all other External Affairs of Asset. This organ focuses on presenting all departments in a uniform and professional way towards companies. The Acquisition Meeting can decide on all acquisition related topics that concern all departments. Since every department has their own interest, we will have to go into debate with each other and based on this we will have to make the decisions. The way we represent Asset | Accounting & Finance is crucial so we can make the cooperation between departments as nice as possible. Getting a lot of responsibilities, making business contacts, and taking a critical view on the work is all that contributed to my personal development. Besides managing our network of partners and representing Asset | Accounting & Finance in AM, I am also responsible for setting up events. For example, I have been responsible for the FinanceDay, which I have worked towards for a couple of months. I was main responsible for this, but on all important affairs we decided together as a board. Which businesses will be invited? Where will the event take place? It is the decision we make together, but I have to make overviews of these points before the decision is made. Next to organising events myself, I am also responsible for events which my committees organise. I coordinate the Accounting Expedition committee, the Activities committee and since a couple of weeks also the Accountancy Cycle committee. As coordinator you do not carry out committee tasks yourself, but you have to make sure that committees are fulfilling these tasks in the right way and support them if necessary. All mentioned above is why doing a board year gives you such a unique experience. Getting a lot of responsibilities, making business contacts, and taking a critical view on the work is all that contributed to my personal development. At this moment, I only have half a year left, although I can already look back on moments which I can be proud of, as well as moments that were a little bit disappointing. All these moments together make a board year what it is; a year consisting of only fun and instructive moments together with your fellow board members. For this reason, I have never regretted my choice of doing a board year at Asset | Accounting and Finance. If you want to know more about my board year after this article, visit room E1.07 and ask your questions during a cup of coffee!
A board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance – Shaiana Cripaul, Treasurer
My bachelor was coming to an end and I had to think about what I wanted to do for the upcoming year. I didn’t want to start my master yet but how would I fill a gap year? I was thinking about traveling or doing a board year. After I was asked for a board year at Asset | Accounting & Finance I decided that I wanted to do that. In July the transitional period started. Unfortunately, I still had to do a resit that month but luckily for me the transitional period in the summer is longer than in the winter. One of the things I quickly learned was that Twinfield would be my best friend during my board year. Twinfield is the accounting program of our study association. As treasurer I’m responsible for all money matters. This means that I book and pay all the invoices and besides that I also sent all the invoices to the companies. It is also my job to run debt collections after events in order to collect the participants fee. In addition I am the treasurer of the Alumni Association Financials and the Financial Association Netherlands (FAN). The FAN is an association that consists of five financial study associations from five different cities. My tasks are the same for both, only for the FAN I have to declare taxes. Every board member coordinates a few committees. The committee that I coordinate are the Lustrum Committee, Investment Night Committee and the Promotional Committee. This year Asset | Accounting & Finance celebrates its 4th lustrum and it is my job, together with the committee, to make this lustrum a great succes. The committee already started in February and my predecessor Iris, was the coordinator of this committee back then. In the summer I became the coordinator of this committee. At first it was quite difficult to coordinate this committee because the committee was used to cooperate without me and because a lot of stuff about the lustrum was already decided. Despite that, still a lot of things had to be decided. Especially coming up with activities and decorations is what made this committee so much fun. As mentioned before, I also coordinate the Investment Night committee. This committee organizes a symposium for everyone who has affinity with investing. Every year it is a challenge to arrange speakers and partners for this event. That makes coordinating this committee enjoyable and it gives a huge boost when a partner or speaker is fixed. Lastly, I am the coordinator of the promotional committee. This committee is responsible for keeping track of the competition between the committees, organizing the dinners at the end of the semesters and also the CSR activity. Coordinating the committees is very diversified. Every committee is different and therefore needs different guidance. “In the past few months I have learned a lot, such as how to make balance sheets and profit and loss statements, but also how to cooperate, be critical and above all I have developed myself professionally.” As treasurer you also attend the treasurers meeting of Asset every week. In this meeting all the treasurers from each Asset department take place. During these meetings we collectively decide about Asset’s money. For instance, we decide on whether to make new investments, such as the creation of a completely new website last year. As is known about a board year, there are many evening activities. Before you even notice, three nights a week are fully planned. Of course this can be exhausting sometimes, but the activities are actually always fun. Therefore, the weekends are a moment of rest in which I can fully recover. Last month we had the semi-annual general members meeting. This also meant that three board members had to make room for the new board members. At that moment, it feels weird that half of the board is switching. However, the advantage of this semi-annual switch is the new fresh energy that appears from the three new board members. While writing this article, I am just realising how fast the past couple of months have flown by. Soon, the board applications will open and then my successor will quickly be announced. Until this very day, I haven’t had a feeling of regret about my board year. In the past few months I have learned a lot, such as how to create balance sheets and profit and loss statements, but also how to cooperate, be critical and above all I have developed myself professionally. If you want to know more about my board year after this article or if you are in doubt about doing a board year, visit room E107!
Accounting Expedition 2018: Experience the Expertise!
February 28, time has come for the Accounting Expedition of 2018 to kick off. For months the committee worked their fingers through the bone in order create a successful event. The hotel was booked, the students were overloaded with the well-known AccEx-tea and the participating companies could not wait to open their doors for the participants. Students gathered on a Wednesday afternoon at 15:30. With a brief welcoming message and introduction the expedition got underway. Then it was time to go to the station and catch the train to Eindhoven. So far everything went smoothly: We were half an hour ahead of schedule and had lost no one. Once arrived in Eindhoven we checked in at Hotel Glow, put all of our luggage in our rooms and had time for a cup of coffee in the lounge of the hotel. Around 19:45 we left for Eetcafé Spijker to have dinner together in order to get to know one another. With a few drinks after dinner a friendship was established. With the thought in mind that we had two long days ahead of us we left at a reasonable hour in order to get some necessary shut-eye. “We had an interactive case about internal processes, risk and control measures of a real customer.” The first alarm clocks went off around 6:30 that Thursday morning. The shower was turned on, the business casual outfit was laid out and at 7:15 the first participants trickled into Vascobelo to enjoy a lovely breakfast. Everything was still going smoothly until someone lost their bag at the cafe. He sprinted back to fetch it and with the whole group still together we left in time to the next company: Joanknecht. Against all odds we defied cold and harsh weather conditions due to strong eastern winds from Russia and were happy to arrive at the office to warm up. Here at Joanknecht, we received a word of welcome from one of the partners, played a quiz and the winner was rewarded with the Joanknecht-Mini for a week. After this small introduction it was time for more serious business: An interactive case about internal processes, risk and control measures of a real customer of Joanknecht. Time flew by and before we knew it we were already having lunch at Plein 4. After the delicious lunch it was time for our next visit to EY and the program was opened in their panorama bar with a spectacular view of the skyline of Eindhoven. We continued the program with an interactive quiz after having asked all sorts of questions to the partner and (senior) staff. Who would have thought the quiz would end in a tie with 3 teams, it all came down to which team came closest to guessing the correct circumference of the earth. Team ‘Plein 4’ came closest and left the two losing teams ‘Bij twijfel C’ and ‘EWives’ in their wake. In the meantime everyone had gotten hungry again and together with some of the staff from EY we left for Plein 4, where we have now become regular visitors. After an enjoyable dinner it was time to call it a day but not without having a drink in our favourite pub Spijker. “The enthusiastic and driven students in particular made the Accounting Expedition a success.” On Friday morning we were allowed fifteen minutes of extra sleep and just like yesterday we were well in time to catch the bus to our next firm: Baker Tilly Berk. After being welcomed, receiving a cup of coffee and a tour through their recently refurbished office it was time for a workshop in integrity given by a partner. This broached a completely different subject of the accountancy world which gave us insight into a different aspect of the profession. Subsequently we were treated with a wonderful homemade lunch and because of this we lost track of time and had to hurry to get to the last firm of the expedition. In retrospect, that was not necessary because the bus had a delay. In an overcrowded bus we went to Eindhoven Central to catch the train back to Tilburg. With a few minutes to spare we were all able to get on the train and take a seat in a completely empty compartment. It turned out that the electricity was not working and with that our hopes of warming ourselves up was crushed. Nearly frozen to the bone we arrived in Tilburg and took the bus to BDO and to make matters worse the bus driver never showed up resulting in us arriving 10 minutes late. Nevertheless we were welcomed with open arms, could listen to a partner who enthusiastically told about the company and afterwards left with bus driver Wesley to one of BDO’s more interesting customers: Willem II. At Willem II we were welcomed by the general manager to whom we could ask all our (football-related) questions. After the question round we worked on a client-specific case and ended the day and expedition with a drink in one of the business rooms at Willem II. Unfortunately this time not with the catering from Plein 4 but with a delicacy from Tilburg, namely ‘broodje Jantje’. And so forth the expedition came to an end. All in all the expedition was educational but above all pleasant. The enthusiastic and driven students in particular made the event a success. During the expedition we did not lose anyone, only arrived late once and everyone learned the ins and outs of the accountancy profession in order to be able to orientate themselves towards their future. Finally I would like to thank Steven, Daan, Nadia and Kirstin for their hard work within this committee. Of course, an honourable mention goes out to our coordinator Sanne. Through the efforts of everyone we have managed to realize this beautiful event. I can proudly say that the Accounting Expedition 2018 was an overwhelming success!