Sabbatical Interviews 2012: Deputy President (Finance & Services) – Michael Foster

What have you enjoyed most?

I think it’s working in the Union and being part of a team. It’s a very good atmosphere to work in and it really helps you do your role and also to see that you help other people do theirs as well – everyone’s got something to contribute and build on. Specifically within my role, I’ve enjoyed getting stuck into policy and operational matters, and making decisions on how we run commercial services. I’ve also really enjoyed seeing online finances really develop and be rolled out in a big way – obviously I’m building on the work of my predecessors but it’s good to see that finally come to fruition.

What have you enjoyed least? At the beginning it was hard to manage my time. I found that the admin was taking up a lot of my time and that was hard because it meant that I couldn’t focus on what I came into the role to do. Also, I think it’s fair to say that I didn’t enjoy the backlash from the Responsible Retailing Policy and the new bar nights procedure. I understand the backlash, but it’s never a nice thing to receive criticism and it’s quite stressful. I was able to respond to criticisms and of course I’m glad for the experience, but at the time it was very difficult.

What has been your biggest challenge in the role? The biggest challenge has been trying to communicate to the student body that, while we are here to represent them over their time at Imperial and their student experience, there has to be an implicit acceptance that the Union is also a business. There are times when the Union does have to make money and that may not go down well with some of the traditions of the clubs but we do need to make sure that the Union sticks around for years to come.

How far have you delivered on your manifesto points? Not yet, but we’re just over halfway through the year. One of my manifesto points was about the Summer Ball so that’s only just ramping up now. Another of my points (which is a regular appearance on DPFS manifestos) was about cashless payments. We are looking into our suppliers of payment systems and we’re also looking to work with college to see if they are willing to help us with that. However, because we need to look at all the options available to us it’s not happening as quickly as I had thought. I’m confident that some move can be made, though. The other main manifesto points included an improvement in the standard of bar service; things have improved gradually for the past few months but with the experience and knowledge of our new management the standard will increase at a much regular rate. I’m also very satisfied with the progress of online finances.

Is there such a thing as an average day? There is such a thing, as a lot of my time is taken up by admin! There are also various little tasks – almost housekeeping – such as responding to queries on financial matters. When that’s all done I take the chance to look at how we provide functions and dinners at the Union, at what we’re doing for the Summer Ball, at new ways of clubs saving money or how better to streamline our online financial systems.

What have you gained from being DPFS? I have learned about how to manage my time, how to prioritise my tasks and how to generally be more effective. I’ve also learned to do what will have the most impact and to accept that there are some smaller things that I can’t resolve as quickly as I would like – that’s been difficult to do because every club is important, every club has its own problems and similarly different parts of commercial services have their own problems, but there are some bigger issues that need to take priority at the expense of others. Further, I think I’ve also learnt the importance of not just making decisions but also communicating them effectively and in good time, and the rationale behind them.

What advice would you give to those considering running for DPFS? If you’re concerned that you don’t have the experience, then that’s a non-issue, we have very good training. We can bring you up to speed very quickly and there is an extensive handover period so you can learn the ropes very quickly. I would also say that if you are passionate about finance and commercial services, and you see a lot of things that you have ideas to change and you think could be much better, then you’ll always have something to contribute. There will be a staff team around you who have got the experience to help you implement your ideas and you certainly won’t be isolated. You’ll find it quite a satisfying experience to try and make a difference in the way finance and services are run.