Our Structure

AfSU is governed by a non-executive Board of Trustees. Operationally, the union is led by its Board of Directors, which is the executive decision-making board. The Directors hold operational responsibility, whilst our Trustees hold our Directors accountable for the work which they produce and the strategic vision upon which AfSU is based upon.

To find out how to join AfSU's Board of Trustees or Board of Directors please visit apply.afsu.org where open vacancies will be published.

Board of Trustees

The AfSU Board of Trustees is a non-executive board responsible for the advisory and accountability of AfSU’s Board of Directors (our Executive Board). Find out more by selecting the tabs below to read on what their roles and functions are.

Roles and Responsibilities

The AfSU Board of Trustees is a non-executive trusteeship which looks at advising and holding to account AfSU’s Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for ensuring AfSU’s strategic vision aligns with legal requirements and is being articulated in the necessary manner to external parties/organisations. This includes operational, logistics and financial matters.

Functions as a Board

The Board of Trustees has four main functions it is expected to carry out:

 

  • Advisory: trustees will be expected to advise the AfSU Board of Directors on matters upon which they hold expert knowledge in.
  • Auxiliary: providing recommendations towards “change to comply”, a process by which we translate our operational desires to tangible legal solutions.
  • Approval: trustees will be responsible, as a Board, for checking over and signing annual accounts which are presented to them by AfSU’s Executive Director and explained by external auditors/accountants.
  • Accountability: trustees will need to question, deliberate, and ensure AfSU’s executive board is being held accountable for the actions for which they are pursuing. Trustees should ensure they have no conflicts of interest, or bias of opinion, when determining the best outcomes.

How does the Board of Trustees operate?

The board convenes four times a year, with one full board meeting every quarter. At our Annual General Meeting (AGM), the full board will be present alongside our Board of Directors to present on AfSU’s progress to date and future.

 

At our quarterly meetings, the Executive Director will put forward reports detailing AfSU’s operational work and compliance with legal matters. The board will be responsible for disseminating this work, holding key actors to account, and challenging the work AfSU is doing to produce stronger, more reliable outputs.

 

Meetings are held in-person and are by invitation only.

Board of Directors

The AfSU Board of Directors is responsible for the management of the union. They are the designated body of leadership and will oversee all activities this union undertakes. Find out more about the board and it’s directorship by clicking the tabs below.

Structure of Directors

The Board of Directors is composed of the following roles:

 

  1. Executive Director
  2. Deputy Executive Director
  3. Director, Operations
  4. Director, Administration
  5. Director, Logistics
  6. Secretary

 

Each role has a different function and area of oversight. Each Director holds operational responsibility for their department, whilst the Executive Director holds responsibility and oversight for all areas and assists Directors in the function of the work they carry out.

Roles and Responsibilities

Each department has been created to follow AfSU’s Strategic Vision, and thus the function of which they carry out is based upon the area of the strategic vision they focus on:

 

  1. Operations: this department focuses on the deliverance of events, workshops, conferences to university students as well as strategic responsibility of AfSU’s tuition centres.
  2. Administration: home to recruitment, security, policy, compliance and legal affairs, AfSU’s Administration department looks at ensuring rules and regulations are followed in pursuit of our strategic vision.
  3. Brand & Marketing: managing press enquiries, AfSU’s social media platforms, online advertisements, marketing, and photography/videography at our events.
  4. Logistics: this department is responsible for AfSU’s procurement, resource allocation and financial affairs.