Governance

SUSU is a membership-led organisation and it's important that our members (Swansea University students) know exactly how the Union runs, and through this, how to get involved. We are governed by Articles of Governance & Schedules, which sets out the rules and processes behind everything that we do.

We're autonomous

Although we're part funded by Swansea Univeristy, and are located on the campus, we're also a completely autonomous organisation. This ensures that we remain entirely focused on our members with one purpose in mind: to make student life better.

We're led by students

They are at the heart of everything that we do. They sit out on our Student Forums, which determines our campaigning and political priorities. They make up the largest share of our Board of Trustees, which is legally responsible for hiring the staff team and making sure the Union remains financially viable. They deliver most of our services through our large staff team. And they have the power to shape everything the Union does through our Union Council, Annual Student Members' Meetings and referenda.

We're a charity

Our charity number is 14857512 . Like all Students' Unions in the UK, we're also a registered charity. This means that: We're not-for-profit: any income we gain from our commercial services goes straight back into providing services for students. We're governed by charity law: which has some implications on how we can spend our money – making sure it's spent on students, for example. We're accountable to our members: which means we're constantly looking to help students better understand what we get up to, and how we spend our money. As a charity we have a Board of Trustees that ensures the Students' Union has the necessary financial and structural stability to carry out its aims effectively.

Articles of Governance

What is the Board of Trustees?

The Board of Trustees is the group of people with ultimate responsibility for everything that the Students' Union does. It is responsible for the governance and financial and strategic management of the Students' Union.

In particular the Board of Trustees has the following three roles:

To make sure that everything we do benefits the students at Swansea University. As the Students' Union is a registered charity with set aims and objectives, we are required to ensure that everything we do benefits the students at Swansea Unviersity. As well as monitoring what the Students' Union is doing now, the Trustee Board approves our strategic plan, ensuring that we will continue to benefit future generations of Swansea students'.
To ensure that the Students' Union remains financially solvent.
If the Students' Union is to carry on benefiting students, it must have the money both in the short and long term to do this. For example, the Trustees have to approve all significant items of expenditure and the annual budget.
To ensure that the Students' Union doesn't break any laws or regulations relating to the work that we carry out. As the Students' Union offers so many services to our members, there are many laws and regulations that we have to follow. If the Students' Union were found to have broken any of these, it is the Trustees who would be ultimately responsible and could potentially face legal action.

Key documents

Trustee reports (Annual AGM)
Board of Trustees Bye Law

Who are the Board of Trustees?

All decisions by the Trustee Board are taken by all the Trustees, acting collectively and as a team. All Trustees have an equal responsibility for the oversight of the Students' Union. The Trustees of Swansea University Students' Union fall under three categories. Each of the Trustees has their own experiences which, collectively, help ensure that the Board of Trustees can carry out its roles. All trustees serve for a fixed term of office which can be renewed for a specific maximum period (depending on which type of trustee they are).

Board members 2022 / 23

Pablo Josiah - Chair & President

Riaz Hassan - External Trustee

Howard Morgan - External Trustee

Andy Patton - External Trustee

Michelle Okpalla - Education Officer

Ronnie Kowalska- Societies and Services Officer

Megan Chagger - Sports Officer

Abigail Egwuatu - Welfare Officer

Macsen Davies - Welsh Affairs Officer

We are recruiting for our Board of Trustees. Please download the information pack here.

Students’ Unions are amazing, exciting and unique organisations and at Swansea University Students’ Union, we take pride in supporting and representing our students during their time at the University. We are a democratic organisation, independent of the University, governed and led by our Executive Committee and Board of Trustees.

Our teams of staff, student staff and volunteers provide a range of membership and commercial services which are led by the students for the students. We strive to make students’ lives better, their university experience richer with our representation, advocacy, advice, campaigning and range of activities through student societies and clubs.

The change in student leadership every year brings renewed challenges, opportunities, excitement and energy which galvanise and motivate us to aim higher and better to continue to provide services to our members. We believe an effective Trustee Board and quality trustees are central to ensuring the Students’ Union achieves its aims, fulfil members’ aspirations and continues to improve as one of the leading students’ union in the country.

Swansea University

Swansea University’s expertise and skills in several areas have been recognised by awards and prizes during recent years which includes The Whatuni Student Choice Award 2019 University of the Year, The Times & Sunday Times UK Top 30, 2019 Welsh University of the Year and 2019 University of the Year Runner-up. The University was also awarded Gold Award, the highest possible, in the Teaching Excellence Framework (2018). The ongoing estate expansion and enhancement programme has brought home Guardian University Awards 2019 for Sustainable Buildings that Inspire. All this has extended its global reach, achieving its highest ever ranking of Top 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Swansea University benefits from a strong working relationship with the Students’ Union. The Full Time Officers, elected Representatives and Staff of the Union make a significant contribution to the University’s governance structures, committees and partnerships. This relationship is based on an acknowledgement of each other’s independence, a mutual respect and a wholehearted commitment to support the student experience at Swansea University. The Students’ Union is a key partner in achieving University’s ambitions when it enters its Centenary year.

Swansea University Students’ Union

Swansea University Students’ Union is constituted under the Education Act 1994 as an unincorporated association that is registered as a charity that operates under its Articles of Governance and Schedules. We take great pride in being a dynamic charity that seriously takes its mission - “to be student led, creative and innovative in supporting and being the voice of all students, maximising opportunities and giving more for membership, making student life exciting whilst being a positive part of our community and world around us”.

The Union has completed a review of its Strategy and Articles of Governance and Schedules for a more democratic, relevant, responsive and effective governance model and staff structure. Within six overarching themes, the strategic plan now has 15 goals and 85 objectives for various membership and commercial services departments.

Apply to be a Swansea University Students’ Union Trustee

The trustee board comprises six Full Time Officer Trustees and three Co-opted Trustees who operate and exercise their powers as outlined in the Articles of Governance. The trustees are supported with a strong training programme put in place by the Union and the University so as to guide them in the fulfilment of their duties. The organisation is headed by the Chief Executive and supported by Head of Finance & Operations, over fifty-five permanent staff and more than 200 student staff and 100s valuable volunteers.

We are looking to appoint enthusiastic and committed people to our Trustee Board who are willing to contribute their time, knowledge, skills and ideas for our further development and growth. We shall be interested in people who align with our values of being student-led, transparent, ethical and caring, creative, fun & welcoming, inclusive and diverse. Your experience and background in Legal & Charity Law or Commercial & Charity trading or Marketing & Communication and Membership engagement would be of particular interest to us.

If you are passionate about education and are interested in helping transform lives through involvement in our organisation, please download the Trustee Recruitment pack here and apply

If you have any question or would like an informal conversation, please get in touch with SUSU President or Chief Executive Minkesh Sood

President at president@swansea-union.co.uk

Minkesh at minkesh.sood@swansea-union.co.uk

As your SU, we are committed to protecting and lawfully processing the data we hold about you. With the new laws on GDPR coming into effect we wanted to let you know how we receive and manage our data.

We get most of the data we process from Swansea University, through a data-sharing agreement. We rely on the basis of 'legitimate interests' for both processing your data and communicating with you. The data we hold about you helps us create profiles, organise societies and sports by groups as well as to reach out to you directly with any opportunities or news we may have.

We do not sell or share personal data outside of our organisation or the University unless we have your explicit consent.

You can read our full privacy document by clicking here and you can find out what data we hold on you by emailing a completed subject access request form to dataprotection@swansea-union.co.uk

In addition to our privacy policy, please take some time to review our refunds and returns policy which apply to all our services, venues and events by clicking here.

Fel eich Undeb, rydyn ni’n ymroddedig at ddiogelu a phrosesu’r data sydd gennym amdanoch chi yn gyfreithlon. Gyda chyfreithiau GDPR newydd yn dod i rym, hoffwn ni adael i chi wybod sut ydym yn derbyn a rheoli ein data.

Mae rhan fwyaf o'r data rydyn ni'n ei brosesu yn dod o Brifysgol Abertawe, drwy gytundeb rhannu data. Rydyn i'n dibynnu ar sail 'diddordeb cyfreithlon' wrth brosesu eich data a chyfathrebu gyda chi. Mae'r data sydd gennym amdanoch chi yn ein helpu i greu proffiliau, trefnu cymdeithasau a chwaraeon yn ôl grwpiau a chysylltu â chi'n uniongyrchol gydag unrhyw gyfleoedd neu newyddion sydd gennym.

Nid ydyn ni'n gwerthu neu rannu data personol tu hwnt i'n sefydliad neu'r Brifysgol oni bai bod gennym eich caniatâd echblyg.

Gellir darllen ein dogfen breifatrwydd lawn drwy glicio yma a gellir gweld pa ddata sydd gennym amdanoch chi drwy e-bostio ffurflen lawn at web@swansea-union.co.uk.

Yn ogystal â'n polisi preifatrwydd, cymerwch amser i adolygu eich polisi ad-daliadau a dychweliadau sy'n berthnasol at ein holl wasanaethau, bariau a digwyddiadau, drwy glicio yma.