YAA as Voice of the Bank's Future: Jesse
Like Mirte, Jesse is stepped down from the YAA Board as of 1st September as he embarks on his sabbatical across South Africa, Kenya, Australia & New Zealand.
Jesse has spent a couple of years on the board of YAA, and worked hard within his role to help bring YAA to where it is today. Not only that, but being one of the e-captain guru’s – he has helped many of YAA’s active members with setting up and sharing the events and the emails within the whole YAA community (IFKYK😅)!
Midst all the tasks that needed to be finalized before embarking on his adventures, Jesse managed to squeeze in this interview and tell us more about his time on the YAA’s board. As you will read further in his answers, Jesse is very proud of YAA as an organisation, its role within the bank and the benefits it gives to its members, describing YAA as the “voice of the bank’s future”.
Do you want to know what else Jesse had to share?… then keep on reading!
1. As a board member of YAA, what have you learned from this experience?
The main thing I have learned is what an organisation like YAA could contribute to the bank. We saw a huge increase in new members and members per event due to the pandemic. Also, a lot of younger colleagues are looking for the social component as work makes up a considerable part of the week. All members that come to events are connecting, learning and starting friendships with their colleagues which benefits their career, engagement with AAB and happiness at work. On a personal note, it was interesting to be part of the board of an organisation which organises almost 60 events each year. There is a variety of topics you should have an opinion on (e.g. strategy, organisational structure, finance, event management, D&I, legal). Luckily, we have over 50 active members who contribute to the daily operation via committees or the board.
2. What is one significant change or initiative you helped implement during your term as a board member? How did this impact YAA’s growth and development?
With the significant growth (+40% in members in two years) came many challenges. We tried to professionalise as much as possible; we integrated a new strategy and a measurement framework (OKRs) and focused on making the activities we organise as accessible as possible (in terms of type of events, size of events, speakers at events, location of events and amount of events). Furthermore, we collaborated with D&I to make or organisation more inclusive and organised events with internal and external partners (e.g. DNA, Partnerships & Events, the foundation). And I am happy that we started to collaborate with the FGB, who gives the future generations (which you are part of) a voice within the organisation.
3. What do you envision for the future of YAA and what advice would you give to the incoming board members of YAA?
I think YAA will continue to grow and will show its value to the organisation more and more. Over 1700 members are the voice of the future of the bank and are willing to think along and contribute to AAB as an organisation. I am sure we will see some nice events in the future. I would advise the new board to have fun during their time on the board and continue to work on what they believe in. I am confident that they will be able to bring YAA to the next level.
