Union President

Leader of the pack

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Leader of the Imperial student body and chief executive officer of Imperial College Union, the Union President is who College's most senior staff call upon when they want to understand student views. The Union President manages the Officer Trustee team, develops our partnership with College and ensures that we are giving our members the best possible student experience.

The Union President's achievements this year

The current Union President is Chippy Compton, a Medicine Undergraduate who was previously ICSMSU President, Clubs & Societies Officer, and a committee member of Medics Light Opera. This year, her work has included improving Imperial's student democracy, gaining a deeper understanding of our membership through data analytics, and expanding development opportunities for our key volunteers, amongst other things. 

Every Officer Trustee sets several goals at the start of each year - goals they will work towards individually, and ones they will work on achieving collectively. Here are Chippy's priorities for this year. You can get full details of the goal - and the progress she has made towards it so far - on her Officer Trustee Goals page.

You can also read her original Manifesto for when she ran for Union President here.

What you would do as Union President

Key Facts

    • Full-time, paid role (£30,770*)
    • Term in office: Mid July 2018 - 31 July 2019
    • Ultimately responsible for Imperial College Union's strategy, governance, communication, staffing and finances

* 2017/18 figure; College salaries for 2018/19 will be announced in June 2018

To find out more about the role, contact Chippy. 

What you would learn as Union President

Most graduate schemes will offer you middle management roles after two or three years of work. When you're Union President, you're in charge from day one. You are ultimately responsible for a Managing Director who leads a 60-strong staff team, and for finances that reach over £9m of turnover every year. No one will set your agenda or priorities for you; you would have the freedom to develop and pursue your own goals and help us achieve Our Strategy 2017-20 with the support of our staff and trustees.

As Union President, you would develop your:

  • Leadership ability, bringing your fellow Officer Trustees and staff colleagues along with you as you achieve your goals
  • Strategic thinking, as you work with Trustees and senior staff to ensure Imperial College Union remains relevant and sustainable for 2020 and beyond
  • Interpersonal skills, working with senior College decision-makers, Union staff and student volunteers
  • Public speaking, representing Imperial students at events, meetings, and Graduation Days
  • Stakeholder management, as you balance the competing views and interests within the student body and the wider Imperial community

Role Description

The President shall:

  • Be the chief executive officer of the Union
  • Be the ultimate representative of the Union
  • Be ultimately responsible for the whole Union, its Constituent parts, and its activities and governance
  • Be ultimately responsible for the finances of the Union
  • Be ultimately responsible for staffing and discipline issues
  • Be responsible for the Union's marketing and communications to the membership, College and external organisations
  • Be responsible for constitutional development and preliminary interpretation
  • Ensure the adherence to the Complaints and Discipline procedures set out in section E of the bye-laws
  • Be responsible for the Managing Director
  • Be the manager of the other Officer Trustees in their role as employeers and coordinate their work and that of the non-sabbatical Officers of the Union
  • Delegate the duties and responsibilities of Officers in the case of vacancies or if any Officer is unable to carry out his or her duties

All Officer Trustees shall:

  • Act as a Trustee ex-officio
  • Fulfill all Presidential and constitutional responsibilities
  • Execute and develop policy and further the aims and objectives of the Union
  • Ensure that all members of the Union are equally represented
  • Chair relevant Union committees
  • Liaise with Union and College staff as appropriate
  • Represent the Union on external committees as appropriate
  • Report to Union committees as appropriate
  • Establish extra duties with the President where appropriate
  • Coordinate the work of the non-Trustee officers of the Union
  • Deliver the Union's strategic aims and uphold the Union's values
  • Ensure that the Union provides relevant and sustainable events and services that meet the demands of its members
  • Campaign where appropriate on issues relevant to the membership

Voting is now closed. Join us in Metric at 19:00 for the Results Party. 
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