The Commerce Students’ Society strives to be an active part of BCom and MBA student life in the Gustavson School of Businesss at the University of Victoria. The CSS organizes academic and social events, inclusive to all students that promote leadership and social development.
I was involved in the CSS in the academic years of 2008 to 2010. In chronological order, I participated as an Accounts manager for the Corporate Relations team to secure sponsorship and funding for the CSS and as Vice President Internal managing a portfolio of directors including HR, IT, Clothing amongst many more. Even though my role was to oversee operational activities, I am not above getting down and dirty to get things done. As the CSS is a entrepreneurial organization, I have no qualms in being a team player and frequently helped out with running errands for my directors in conferences, banquets, social nights and acted as a photographer as well to ensure smooth operation.
I led a team of over 70+ volunteering individuals and managed a working budget of $150,000 to allocate to the CSS’s events of charitable causes, banquets, conferences and social events. Working closely the President, I directly influenced the strategy of the organization, the culture of the team and boosting student involvement. Going back to basics steering towards profitability were two core themes of my term serving on the executive council.
Some highlights during my term consisted of:
• 375%+ boost in participation response from 40 (previous year) to over 150 students coming out CSS recruitment information session from marketing and branding efforts
• Changed social event branding and marketing promotion methods to sell out venues that were successful in turnout and profit, some made over $5000 in a single night in gross profit
• Changed retreat structure to create a raw and personal feel towards the organization to form a tightly knit, close and high performing team
• Ended term with budget surplus, the past several years repeatedly incurred deficits
• Implementing a wiki-based Knowledge Management System to ensure smooth succession
• Oversaw the redevelopment of the CSS Website
Key takeaways: management, OB, HR, organizational development, operations management, branding, marketing, IT, networking, cash is king, organizational politics, people and relationships matter, titles are meaningless if you can’t deliver
