Mark’s board experience

February 12th, 2019

Georginio Bruinhard

Now that we’re on the brink of looking for a new full-time board it looked like a good idea to inquire about the current board members their experience. Mark, Synergy’s treasurer, is the second member with whom we had this interesting interview.

Why did you want to join the board in the first place? 
‘’I was an active member at Synergy for a while already, I always liked it here and I felt comfortable. I wanted to get more involved, add more practical experience in my student time rather than just nosing through books. Because Synergy is a large and professional study association I decided to do my board year here.’’ 

What committees did you do before your board year then? 
‘’Before I joined the board I was in the introduction committee, Synergy Week and the business trip.’’ 

How long have you been a Synergy member? 
‘’I became active in my first Synergy year, which was around three years ago.’’ 

What did you expect of your function in the board before your actually begun? 
‘’Of course, the function of treasures leaves little room for doubt in terms of what to expect. I already knew that a great deal of finance was involved. I also was the treasurer in all the committees I did before joining the board, so I already had quite some contact with the different treasurers of the preceding boards. What I expected of my function is quite the same as what I am currently doing.’’ 

What do you like most about your board experience thus far? 
‘’Uhm, that’s multiple things actually: what I really like is that you do so many things with a close team, but still don’t get fed up with each other. You work together a lot and really get to know each other. It’s also a big plus that my activities are so diverse; there are constantly new things coming by for which you need to find a suitable way of dealing with them together.’’ 

Were there specific challenges you were not looking forward to? 
‘’Of course there is a lot more responsibility involved once you start a year like this. As a treasurer you are responsible for the cash of a large association. Furthermore you don’t know who you will be in the board with at first, and it’s always a shame if there is a bad vibe between everyone. Luckily we are placed together really nicely, each quite within the function we wanted to be in.’’ 

How does a typical office day look like for you? 
‘’At Synergy there is no standard day. What comes closest is me being there at 9 or 10 (dependent on the day). I keep a to-do list and I check my emails if I need to process urgent things. Then I refresh the bookkeeping. The rest of the activities differ. It could be for example that I need to quickly adjust the budget plans of committees that have activities planned in set week. For the rest I usually work on monthly closings.’’ 

Did things come by you definitely didn’t expect? 
‘’I made a relatively good expectation setting of what was to come. I talked to a lot of ex board members and they told me what to expect. I knew that in a year like this Synergy becomes your life and that you will have less time for other things you used to do. That’s not a bad thing though, because you reap the benefits of such a year.’’ 

What do you hope to learn the upcoming half year? 
‘’What I am currently doing is guiding committees and their treasurers, so that is already something I learn a lot from, as well as leading such a large association. It helps keeping oversight.’’ 

How do you see that you can bring your experience to other committees? 
‘’That is quite difficult to say, especially because all committees are different. Some are smaller and more independent, while others need more guidance. It really depends on multiple factors.’’ 

What is something to keep in mind when applying for a board year at Synergy? 
‘’Of course you need to feel a connection with Synergy and likewise. You are going to spend a year investing a lot of time in Synergy and activities. It’s an awesome experience from which you learn a lot, and it’s also a strong asset for your CV. Another nice thing is the social aspect: you see a lot of people in the office, but also at activities. You are present at all activities, also the ones you normally aren’t allowed to (such as master activities for example). You’ll get to know people from all layers of Business Administration.’’ 

A board year is certainly something that’s on the list for the majority of people, and the truth is that it’s indeed a valuable experience. Soon the application process starts, so I hope that this article will help you to make your decision! For specific questions you can of course always walk in the office to ask them. Everyone is more than willing to help you.