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President, Portfolio Holder Strategy & Policy, Staff and organisation

As chairman, Xander is the general point of contact for the Student Union. He communicates various ideas and criticisms to the right people. In addition to the chairmanship, he manages the Staff & Organisation and Strategy & Policy portfolios. From the Staff & Organisation portfolio, he works on the continuous improvement of the HR policy of the Student Union Community. Not only does he focus on this policy, he can also be seen as a confidential advisor for every employee, board member or committee member who works within our organisation. In collaboration with our Office Manager, he ensures that the entire Student Union Community can perform the work properly and pleasantly. He is also responsible for the organisational structure of the Student Union.

His main task within the Strategy & Policy portfolio is to translate visions and strategies into decisions that the board makes for long-term policy. In terms of outline, the chairman is familiar with the various management portfolios.

Xander Bon

Study: Financial Engineering & Management
Active at: A.S.V. Taste, Dispuut Thoridor
Comes from: Hengelo, Nederland|
E-mail: x.t.m.bon@utwente.nl

At seventeen, my adventure began as a freshman in Enschede, just a 15-minute bike ride from my parents' home. Initially, the plan was to study in Rotterdam, but the open day of the Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) program convinced me to stay nearby anyway. The short distance to the university ensured that I continued to live at home my first year of study.

During the wonderful Kick-In of 2019, I enrolled in the student union A.S.V. Taste. In the first years of my student life, I enjoyed it immensely and did the Race of the Classics committee. During the Race of the Classics we competed with a team of 30 Tasters against students from other universities in the Netherlands and eventually took the victory back to Enschede!

In my second year of study I joined Dispuut Thoridor, and along with other fun activities in the center of Enschede, I decided to pack my things and moved to Asgard to be even closer to everything studentlife has to offer. Meanwhile, I have been living there for 3 years with great pleasure and plan to experience everything until the end of my student days.

After getting my bachelor's degree in IEM, I chose the master's specialization in Financial Engineering & Management because of my personal interest in finance. I made this choice last year and I am looking forward to continuing my master's studies after my administrative year with the Student Union.

During my student years, I worked almost continuously for our own student consulting firm, PIP Advice. Here, with a close-knit team of an average of 8 active students, we apply our study skills to solve relevant issues for companies. This experience has taught me a lot and has definitely taken me further professionally. Besides the valuable work experience, I also definitely enjoyed all the social moments!

Although I often seized opportunities to become active during my student days, the idea of a board year however didn't come to me until later. When I saw the Student Union a few months ago, it quickly became clear what contribution you can make to student life in Enschede. With this in mind, I decided to accept the challenge and enjoy being a board member of the Student Union for our fellow students. I am greatly looking forward to this challenge, and if you have any suggestions for improvements to the University of Twente, please do not hesitate to contact me!