How We’re Run
The Guild is led by three elected Officers who have all been studying at UCB. They’re supported by a handful of administrative staff, and joined by other Trustees to oversee the running of the Guild as a charity.
Elected Officers
The Guild is a student-centred, student-led organisation. That means we invite students to put themselves forward every year to stand for an election in which all students at UCB can vote – FE, HE, and Apprentices. The three elected Officers make the political decisions and are responsible for making your views heard at UCB and creating the changes you want to see.
Saroj Kamtee
Societies & Activities Officer
Soham Chougale
Education Officer
Kunal Chavan
Equalities & Wellbeing Officer
Staff
Supporting the Officers are a small team of staff who administer the day-to-day operations of the Guild. Staff would not normally be involved in representing students, instead they work to develop the Guild’s campaigns or activities behind the scenes. Staff may chip in with training, running the Guild’s elections, and supporting students with complex circumstances.
Senior Management Team (SMT)
Alex is the Director of the Guild, responsible for managing the staff team and ensuring that the Guild delivers on the strategic plans approved by the Board of Trustees. Previously, Alex was the VP and President of Surrey Students’ Union, where he also took on student voice and digital experience roles. Before joining the Guild, he was the Associate VP for Student Affairs at Richmond American University London.
As the Guild’s Head of Student Communities, Muriel (she/her) is dedicated to ensuring every student at University College Birmingham feels a sense of belonging, and to co-creating inclusive pockets of community across campus life with student leaders. She leads the Communities Team, which looks after our brilliant student groups, executes the Guild’s vibrant year-round events calendar, and facilitates a variety of impactful student-led campaigns.
Muriel has an academic as well as professional background in public relations, corporate communication, journalism, and creative writing.
Trustees
As a Charity, the Guild has a Board of Trustees who oversee the management of the organisation. It’s the responsibility of the Trustees to make sure the Guild is achieving its mission to support students and remains a sustainable organisation. The Trustees have the power to make large changes to the Guild, but in practice many of the decisions directly impacting students are made at Student Council, a Guild Assembly, or by the elected Officers.
The Trustees consist of:
- All full-time Officers (above)
- External trustees (listed below)
- Up to 4 current UCB students
Sophie has worked for over two decades in the higher education and charity sectors, in senior roles in Students’ Unions. Throughout her career, she has also held roles in the public sector, as a Police Officer, a Neighborhood Manager, and a Mental Health Lead, all in hyper-diverse communities in Birmingham. Sophie has extensive experience in non-executive roles, having served as a local authority school governor, an Independent Director on the Board of the OIAHE (Officer for the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education), and she is, also, currently a Trustee with Age UK Birmingham.
Soham Chougale is the Education Officer at University College Birmingham Guild of Students and a member of the Board of trustees and Governor at UCB, championing students’ academic interests and democratic voice across the University. Drawing on experience in national higher education policy spaces and quality assurance, Soham works collaboratively with students, staff and external partners to secure evidence‑based improvements to teaching, assessment and academic support. A committed advocate for inclusive, student‑centred education, he has a particular focus on equity over equality . Soham also contributes to the Guild’s strategic development, embedding strong governance, sustainability, and student welfare at the heart of its work.
Jenny is a registered nurse with over 40 years’ experience working in the NHS in hospitals and health authorities including her last full time position as a Chief Nurse in a clinical commissioning group in Birmingham.
She has extensive experience of working at Board level and is currently a Non-Executive Director at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Birminingham and a Governor of University College Birmingham.
Jenny is committed to ensuring that all students at UCB have the best experience during their studies and that they achieve the outcomes that they aspire to.
Natalie Jordan has worked in higher education for over a decade, with a focus on student experience, service delivery and organisational improvement.
As an External Trustee, she brings experience in leadership, governance and strategic planning across complex student-facing services.
Natalie is passionate about supporting student voice, belonging and opportunities for all students to succeed.
Would you like to gain Board-level experience and shape the strategic direction of the Guild of Students? We are currently seeking to recruit student trustees from across UCB. To qualify, you must be a current student (preferably with more than a year remaining on your course) and meet the requirements of the Charity Commission. For further info, or to express your interest, contact Alex on guildinfo@ucb.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to help!