Candidate Hearing (Nov 16)

THS Armada: Jeffrey Chang (IN)

The first candidate, Jeffrey Chang (IN), applied for PM of THS Armada. He has long shown genuine interest in Armada. He was first involved in 2021 as Host for Banquet Logistics, became Head of Career Fair in 2022, and is the current Head of Logistics and Fair. He has also engaged in other parts of THS. In 20233, he was the Project Manager for the TBas Reception. In 2023, he joined the Spring and Fall International Receptions as Financial Manager and Marketing Manager, respectively. Jeffrey has also been active in THS Central. He was in Valberedning in 22/23 and sits in Kårstyrelsen (KS) 23/24.

It can be concerning for some that Jeffrey is part of KS. However, he has not participated in the election process of previous candidates for PM of THS Armada 2024 and will not participate in the election process of other candidates for KL. But this isn’t the only particular thing regarding his candidacy. He is applying with Leonard Hökby, the current PM of THS Armada, who would share the position during the spring semester.

When asked how they’d navigate co-management, Jeffrey mentioned that they haven’t struggled when working together. He also explained that they could divide the tasks and that Jeffrey would be the one to make decisions as he would fill the position for a longer time, but that he would gladly take advice from Leo as his experience can be valuable.

Upon election, Jeffrey would leave his position in KS. When asked why he prioritises KL over KS, Jeffrey expressed eagerness to fulfil the role where he is most needed, in this case, as PM of Armada. He also addressed why only a few have applied to become PM of Armada. He explained that most students engaged in the Project Team (PT) are internationals, often studying for as little as one semester and up to two years. He said his strategy is to recruit more Swedish students by filling a “fifty-fifty” quota. And he plans to collaborate more with chapters by attending their meetings and maintaining communication with chapter presidents.

Event Manager: Viola Söderlund (D)

It is Viola’s second time applying for Event Manager this year. She has shown interest in the role since she joined NKM in 2020, but she is also active in other parts of THS and KTH. She is PRatare in Quarnevalen and Head of Hair and Makeup in Metaspexet 2023. She is also Amanuens for a plussgrupp in INDA, EECS for the third year. Her leadership skills and passion are reflected in her role as Scout Leader for a teenage group.

She has a good overview of the subgroups of the Event Manager as she has been in NKM for over three years and has collaborated with RN. She doesn’t know much about Platoon, but learning about them and from them is one of her priorities. Based on her experience, one of her focuses as the Event Manager would be to formalise NKM and their responsibilities. She also believes that they are ready to take on more tasks and, therefore, plans to delegate what’s traditionally been done by the Event Manager.

Another area Viola would like to work on is intersectionality. Many events in Nymble are chapter-oriented and not open to everyone at KTH. She argues that holding events for broader populations would enhance KTH’s student life and culture and generate higher income for THS in the long run. Others have also pointed out that this could reduce the booking fees for future event organisers. Viola also mentioned that some of the most prosperous events in Nymble are external. She plans to maintain continuous communication with other student unions and institutions that might be open for collaboration.

As she’s applied for this position in the past, she was asked if there is anything that didn’t come up in the last election that she’d like to address then. She decided to address their motivation for not electing her during the previous round. She was described as a “tidsoptimist” and unstructured in her work. She acknowledged that she might be five minutes late to a meeting now and then but has no problem adhering to deadlines and completing her tasks. She also mentioned that, although it might not seem so from the outside, she does follow a workflow and organisation that works for her.

Event Manager: Frida Andersson (CL)

Frida has been klubbmästare in CLW for one and a half years. There, she developed routines for alcohol-centric events in her chapter and established long-term strategies in the internal work. Before she started her studies at KTH, she worked in cocktail bars and five-star hotels in Ireland. She has experience in financial reports, orders and inventories, and team management. She has also completed STAD and Krögarprovet, an indication that she has sufficient knowledge of the Swedish alcohol laws and how to handle potential difficult situations in events where alcohol is served.

Frida is currently in Kårfullmäktige (KF) and has a good overview of THS, including KL. However, Frida hasn’t been a part of NKM, RN or Platoon and lacks knowledge of these subgroups or Nymble, but she plans to focus much of her handover on these. She has heard of good communication and collaboration between the subgroups, but she’d like to look at it with fresh eyes and evaluate any areas for improvement. Based on her understanding of these subgroups, she plans to delegate and give them more responsibilities and clarify the roles of different positions to make them, particularly NKM, more autonomous. Frida also intends to create a separate group to work with events that aren’t alcohol centric, like themed alcohol-free pubs and live-music events.

One of her strengths, according to Frida, is that she plans and evaluates different scenarios, so if something goes wrong, she is ready to handle it. She acknowledged that it can be difficult to imagine every possible situation, but she is a quick problem-solver, and her experience enables her to handle various situations.

KS Meeting 04

On Monday, November 20, at 5:30 p.m., kårstyrelsen has planned to elect, if at all, the future PM of THS Armada and Event Manager. The meeting will be held via Zoom.