Audit and Risk Committee

Audit & risk

committee

BY PHILLIP KEMP (CHAIR)

It is with great pleasure that I write on the activities of the Guild Audit and Risk Committee for 2021. COVID-19 has continued to plague the operations of the Guild during the year and the activities of our committee have assisted the Guild Executive team as they tackled the challenges the virus presented.

The role of the Audit and Risk Committee is to assist the Guild President and Executive Team, alongside senior staff of the Guild, in their decision-making by providing a perspective based on experience and knowledge from outside the university system. We are able to ask questions regarding the management of the organisation and provide feedback, while having an understanding of the role of the Guild and the relationships within the University.

After the tumult of 2020, we were pleased to see that the Guild was able to work with tenants to balance the challenges of reduced foot traffic with some innovative ways of building sales and improving turnover. The businesses in the Guild Village Precinct are important to the student experience, and therefore the reputation of the Guild. We were particularly pleased to see the Guild expanding its reach — from a hoodie worn in the latest UWA campaign to increased online sales and plans to stock Guild and UWA merchandise at Perth Airport.

It is always important to put students at the centre of our discussions — and as the pandemic rolled on, the financial and personal impacts on students continued to be a focus of concern. At the same time, we were impressed by the ongoing resilience of students. Even in the wake of restrictions on many gatherings and events, for example, the number of clubs has increased, and students have found new ways to engage online. We look forward to the eventual lifting of all restrictions, and the resumption of student life as we have known it.

I would like to thank fellow committee members Jacquie Baker, Hamish Johnston and new committee member Lynsey Warbey for their contribution and fellowship throughout the year. I would also like to acknowledge the senior staff of the Guild, Tony Goodman and Mutya Maraginot-Joseph for their dedication and hard work through a challenging year, and to Chloë Keller for providing support to the committee.