An insight into what it is like to work on the Board of Directors, written by Sascha Ahrweiler, Communications Director on the Board.
You may have seen our recent email about the PHUSE Board of Director vacancies currently available. In response to this, I would like to give some insight into what it means to hold a director role in the biggest global community for clinical data scientists.
At one of our last PHUSE events, a couple of my board colleagues – John Hirst (Finance Director) and Chris Hurley (Americas Director) – and myself (Communications Director) had a discussion about what our director positions mean to us. We are all extremely busy in our day jobs and other commitments, so I was curious to know what drove my esteemed colleagues to accept these important volunteer roles for our ever-growing community.
Some of you may be aware that John, in fact, is one of the PHUSE founding members, meaning he was instrumental in establishing the first-ever event in Heidelberg. So, John has seen the journey from the beginning, and all areas of PHUSE continually evolving over the past 15 years, with the established events remaining as its core. It is no surprise that John finds it very rewarding to help in steering the broader strategic direction of PHUSE, and its relationship with the PHUSE membership, partners and industry as a whole.
Chris, who has been a Board member for five years now, takes a lot of enjoyment from working with, and on, the Board of Directors. He thinks we are all simply outstanding and caring people, including the PHUSE Office staff. Chris feels privileged to work closely with the Board, and to be able to develop creative events and initiatives together, with the help of our valued membership. We are part of an innovative organisation that is truly advancing life sciences and ultimately helping the people counting on us, and our industry, to save or improve the quality of their lives.
My own motives are very similar to those of John and Chris. I joined the PHUSE Board back in 2010, when I co-chaired Jean-Marc Ferran’s Budapest conference in 2011. Back then, the annual EU conferences were of even more critical importance for PHUSE, since they were the only revenue drivers, and a failed conference could have meant the end of this great community. I am a true believer of continuous self-development, and I love being exposed to challenges; being on the PHUSE Board I have learned a variety of lessons through my experiences, which you would most likely never learn elsewhere. I have learned what it means to relentlessly work for a bigger cause, and in turn help to move PHUSE to where it is today.
Chris, John and I do not get paid for being on the PHUSE Board, but the immense reward we get through our roles is payment enough. Our engagement is a lot of work, but it also comes with a lot of fun. Working on the Board of Directors has given us so many opportunities to not only meet our volunteers and sponsors, but to really get to know them as we collaborate on various initiatives and events. We have such great people in our membership, and being on the Board has allowed us to meet them and help lead them into opportunities where they can make a difference.
The Board roles offer the opportunity to be part of a team of committed volunteers that are continually working towards the same goals. You will learn a lot from an excellent team, feel a real sense of accomplishment, and be inspired by what PHUSE achieves with your input. It is a great way to help shape the industry and benefit both current and future PHUSE members.
