1. Who are you, and what does your committee do?
I am Merel Verhulst, and I am the commissioner of the Acquisition Committee. Our main goal is to find new partners who want to collaborate with our association.
Interview Merel
Acquisition Commissioner Interview
2. What makes you excited to be commissioner of the Acquisition Committee?
We reach out to companies that you may have never heard of before! We get to make deals that members can benefit from, so it really feels like you are doing something for the rest of your association. The committee has lots of experienced members in it too, so that makes for a relaxed atmosphere!
- So, that also means that you can be a bit more laid-back as a commissioner, then?
Yes!
3. In your opinion, what is the best Flow Member Card deal the committee has been able to negotiate so far this academic year?
Personally, I really like the discount we get at 30ML. As a Flow Member, you get a 15% discount on food and drinks just by showing your Flow Member Card. It is a really nice café and lunch spot! With the committee, we have done meetings there before, and we just work on our laptops while taking in the cozy atmosphere.
- We did the same with the InFlow Committee one time and that was a great success as well, so I would definitely agree!
4. The committee's name has changed! Is there anything the Acquisition Committee is doing differently from last year?
Besides my role as commissioner, I am also part of the Daily Board, which makes it easier sometimes, because there is no middleman to communicate with. However, it can be difficult that I am fulfilling different roles, as both board buddy and commissioner.
- Why was the committee's name changed?
The name was changed to make the goal of the committee more clear. The name 'Career Committee' was too broad and resulted in members believing that it was there to work on their own career, which is not at all its primary intention. Obviously, it helps to get to know new companies, but the priority is to get new partners for Flow. The main goal of the committee remains the same, but we hope the committee's activities will now be more clear for prospective members.
5. What is it like to be a commissioner for your committee?
It is not the busiest committee, which I am happy with. My main tasks, outside of meetings, are mostly related to planning meetings, like making agendas, sending out date planners, and reserving rooms. I lead our meetings, but these are a little different from other committees. We do 'work meetings', where everyone brings their laptops, we do a quick debrief of what companies we are planning to reach out to, and then we get to work independently! There is a whole spreadsheet with an overview of who is reaching out to what companies, so everyone can work smoothly. During the meetings, we send out emails, discuss what partners we want to find, and make sure that people work on partners in different domains. For example, it is important to find partners in communications, AI, and data science, but also that there is a good distribution between social, professional and academic partners.
Throughout the year we also organize several large-scale events like the Internship Market and the Career Day, and the work for that is also divided between our committee members! It is all a bit more formal than other committees.
6. What are you most passionate or excited about for your committee?
We are organizing the Career Day! It is a pretty big event, since it is across the whole university. We are all going to be there, so everyone in the committee will in a suit to welcome our partners and the students. I am really excited to be there with all of my committee. At the same time, it is also the event I am most nervous about, but I mostly very much look forward to it.
7. What movie or show would best describe your committee and why?
Sometimes we joke that we are the Avengers, but I have never personally seen it, so I have no idea if that is a fair comparison. One of our committee members made our group chat picture the Avengers with our heads photoshopped onto them. That is the first thing I am thinking about, and we just had a laugh amongst ourselves. We are the superheroes of Acquisition!
8. If you did not have to look at time or money, what would you want to organize?
I would organize a big event like the Career Day on campus with big companies, like radio stations, podcast recordings on campus and something with the news. Personally, I am really passionate about media and journalism, so I would have a big Career Day here with a focus on that, with famous people coming in for interviews conducted by students. We will really put it out there, even in the national news. Lots of free drinks and food are required of course! If we had no budget, I would definitely invest in that!
- Who knows, maybe the Career Day can take some inspiration from that as well!
I hope so too!