Board Functions

The Chairman's function is very diverse. The Chairman is the representative of Asset | International Business & Management and actively focuses on long-term decision-making and the future of the association. You keep the overview of what is going on within the association. The Chairman leads all the meetings and makes sure that everyone can share their opinion during discussions and supports the final decision. In addition, you will monitor what and how your fellow boardies are doing through expectation- and evaluation meetings. 

As the chairman, you represent Asset | IB&M towards external parties, such as the Academic Directors of the BSc International Business Administration and the MSc International Management, Asset | Tilburg, Student Career Services, old boardies, etc.

The chairman also fulfills a function in the general board of Asset | Tilburg. The general board consists of all the chairmen of the 7 Asset Departments, the chairman of MAK, and the Independent Chairman. I fulfill the role of Brand Manager for which I am responsible for the corporate identity of Asset | Tilburg and the social media channels. 

I decided to do a board year because I wanted to further develop myself in terms of professional- and social skills. The only function that spoke to me was the chairman function because often take a leading role in teams and I liked that being a chairman will lead to very diverse days. I can already say that my board year has been the best year of my life so far. I developed skills such as (professional) communication, keeping the overview, leadership skills, working in teams, setting priorities, weighing out different options and consequences, and adopting a professional attitude. Furthermore, I gained a network of friends and associates which I would not have met otherwise. 

As Secretary, you have a lot of different tasks. You are essentially responsible for the external communication of our department. You are responsible for the website; you design the website, put events online, and keep track of the registrations for events. Furthermore, you are responsible for the incoming mail as well as sending out mailings like the Monthly Mail, and you keep the member database up-to-date. The Secretary also writes the minutes during important meetings, such as the weekly board meetings, the department member’s meetings, and the advisory council. Moreover, the Secretary is responsible for our department’s study support, making sure the existing guidelines are up-to-date according to the course material and looking into new guidelines. Lastly, the secretary also coordinates several committees, varying between formal and informal. 

Within Asset General, the Secretary is part of the Secretary Meeting, the Webmasters Meeting, and the Study Support Meeting. In the Secretary Meeting, all the secretaries of all the departments will meet and discuss planning and the member database. During the Webmasters Meeting, the Webmasters in all the departments will discuss changes and improvements regarding the websites. Lastly, during the Study Support Meeting, every department’s study support will be discussed. 

A board year is a major highlight of your student time. You develop a lot of hard- and soft skills, expand your network, and learn a lot about yourself. Most importantly, you will have amazing events and make unforgettable memories with fellow board members and active members. I chose to do a board year because I was far from done with my student time and I was not sure which master's I wanted to do. I wanted to develop myself in ways that you cannot learn during your studies. I felt extremely at home at Asset | IB&M and wanted to give something back to the organization while having an unforgettable experience. 

As Treasurer, you are responsible for all financial matters within Asset | IB&M. This means that you need to have a clear overview of the financial situation. Specific function-related tasks include paying invoices, cashing payments for activities that we organize, sending invoices to companies, and general bookkeeping. Next to that, you will coordinate several committees that all organize their activities. Most of the time the treasurer will coordinate the trips as this involves a large amount of money. This year we are organizing a two-week study trip to Canada and the United States!

Moreover, you represent Asset | International Business & Management in the weekly Treasurer Meeting of Asset General. You will have some tasks for Asset General that you will do together with treasurers of other departments. Together with the treasurers of other departments you will discuss important asset-wide issues and collaborate in various task forces to manage the Asset General budget.

As a treasurer, you are involved in all financial decisions. You will work closely with your fellow board members and together you basically run a small company for a year. You have the freedom to decide on your policy and translate that through certain financial decisions. It is a great way to translate the theory that you have learned in your studies and apply it in practice.

I chose to do a board year because after finishing my bachelor's degree I wanted something different than already starting my masters. I did not want to sit still for a year, but the idea of working full-time for a year also did not appeal to me. A board year was the perfect solution. A board year adds great value to your personal and professional life: it boosts your CV, your network expands immensely, and you learn so many new soft- and hard skills. The mix of informal and formal events is what makes it unique from any other option like an internship for example. You get to organize several parties, trips to the other side of the world, company days and so much more. It is truly a year that you will never forget and will look back at later in life as one of the highlights of your student life.