Election of Chairman

This article was published on Friday 15 April 2011

Members can vote to elect a chairman to succeed Lord Hunt until 25 May.

If members have lost their ballot paper, it is possible to vote up to the last minute via the electronic voting system. Advice can be obtained by email tohelp@popularis.org.

Those members who prefer to vote usin th ballot paper sent out to all active members are reminded that it will take 3-5 working days for us to receive your posted votes.

Candidates Statements

Bilal Mahmood

Friends,

The ESU is unique; loved and well-established, yet faced with cultural, structural and financial challenges. We must face these to regain our relevance and prominence in a changing world.

As a staff member I saw how the ESU binds people from around the world. As a five-time alumnus of the ESU Speech and Debate programmes, I developed the skills to become a solicitor at the global law firm Allen & Overy LLP. As Governor and volunteering with the ESU deepened my sense of civic duty. Specifically, I helped pioneer programmes in disadvantaged schools. My proudest experience was mentoring a pupil from east London who went on to became world debating champion and Oxford University's Students' Union first black President. This reflects my own upbringing and showed me our transformative capabilities: to encourage dialogue; foster confidence; and connect people from different backgrounds. This is why the ESU inspires me - and why its future challenges galvanise me. If elected, I pledge the following.

• A genuine governance review: to work with all the ESU family (members, alumni, trustees and staff) to ensure the ESU has a fair and open system that appoints an accountable Board.
• A more cohesive union: where we are all more connected through clear lines of communication with frank discussion amongst the ESU family globally.
• Vitality through ownership: where new ideas are organic, encouraged and participated in by all.

Ultimately, we must rediscover our energy and goodwill. Together, we will become more relevant, cohesive and open. This will grant us the ability to inspire, engage and empower particularly young people in today’s world. It is time to put the ESU family to work.

Please do contact me at bilal_mahmood@hotmail.co.uk. You can learn more about me by searching "Bilal Mahmood ESU" on Google, Facebook or LinkedIn.

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Dame Mary Richardson 

Promoting friendship and global understanding through the shared use of the English language

I believe that my previous experience, particularly as a Governor since 2005 and as a Deputy Chairman since 2008, would enable me to provide strong leadership of the ESU as its next Chairman.

Much of my working life has been spent in education and working with government, trying to bring hope and opportunity to those who have little of either. I was Headteacher of a secondary school in a deprived area of London for 15 years although initially I was briefly an army officer. I then brought up two children with the support of my GP husband. In 1999 I became Chief Executive of HSBC’s Global Education Trust, and I found in the ESU the aims, values and programmes which enabled HSBC to become the ESU’s major corporate financial supporter.

I believe the ESU now needs a consultative style of leadership which will ensure transparency with alumni and members, who are its greatest sometimes unrecognised resource, and which will enable it to develop the enormous potential of this international organisation. The election of a new Chairman by a postal ballot of the whole membership, and the appointment of a new Director General, are both important first steps in securing a sustainable future for the ESU. It is essential that Dartmouth House and ESU staff should remain at the heart of the ESU globally. Responsibility for the building might best be taken by others, which will involve hard, continued negotiation.

Once new leadership is in place there should be a pause to prioritise action and to establish a robust strategy to review where we are now, where the ESU sees itself heading in the years ahead, and agree how best this vision can be achieved harmoniously and together. 

You may contact me at damemary@btinternet.com

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Pauline Chakmakjian 

I have nearly ten years of experience in the charitable sector involving many different issues that may arise in organizations such as the ESU. Moreover, I have a varied and international background that would enable me to add value to the development of the global role and responsibilities of the ESU. The various viewpoints and ideas of the current membership, the ESU alumni and the younger generation should converge to commence several necessary improvements to this charity.

As Chairman of the ESU, my priorities would be to 1) develop and implement a plan to preserve Dartmouth House for use by future generations, 2) expand upon the image and programme of the ESU to make it a thriving literary, educational and cultural establishment and 3) transform the current organizational structure into a highly efficient and less private Board that can meet the needs of both the charity and its members. I am of the opinion that any remnant of the old Board may not be entirely beneficial to the ESU at this crucial time since a strong and open relationship between our members and branches, the alumni and Dartmouth House staff must be established.

I obtained a BA in English Language and Literature (with a fine art merit scholarship), a DipLaw and an MA in Modern French Studies. Since 2004, I have been an independent lecturer on a broad range of topics, having given over 30 public lectures in the UK and abroad. Additionally, I have volunteered for the Japan Society since 2002 and currently sit on its Board of Trustees until 2013, I have volunteered for the ESU London Region since 2003 in an events organizational capacity, and since 2009 I have volunteered for the Inner Temple, first its gardens and more recently the Temple Church.

You may contact me at spyglass8@aol.com

Read full CV (right click to download)