The Executive Committee (EC) of the Association is responsible for the overall policy and general management of the entire Association. Members of the EC are Charity Trustees and have the power to enter into contracts on behalf of the Association, subject to the rules set-out in the Constitution.

The EC comprises of:

  • Four Honorary Office Bearers – i.e. President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer
  • Twelve Portfolio Members – i.e. Portfolio holders (for more details see below)
  • Area Representatives – i.e. the Area Chairperson from each of the 9 Areas

EC members are elected at an AGM and serve for a two-year term before them have to stand for re-election. The EC Office Bearers are restricted to two consecutive two-year terms only, after which they cannot stand for re-election for at least another two years for an EC Office Bearer role. Portfolio holders and Area Representatives can stand for re-election indefinitely irrespective of the number of terms they have served consecutively.

Role of EC Office Bearers

President – Oversees the activities of whole Association and is the Chairperson of all meetings of the Association and the EC.

Vice-President – Shall deputise for the President as and when required.

Secretary – Responsible for maintaining the records of the Association, minutes of all EC and General meetings and responsible for correspondence on behalf of EC and Association. The Secretary of the Association is also the Data Officer of the Association as well data protection rules and legislation.

Treasurer– Responsible for the financial oversight of the Association and is Chairperson of the Finance Committee. Further responsibilities include ensuing the Association complies with financial, auditing and reporting requirements.

Portfolios

There are a number of portfolios which help run all the activities of the Association. The following is a very brief summary of each portfolio.

Religion – The portfolio oversees all religions functions of the Association and helps co-ordinate with Area religion functions as required and also helps spread the message about Jainism as well as educate members about Jainism.

Culture & Heritage – The portfolio oversees all culture activities of the Association by working with Areas to deliver events and education about our ancestral heritage.

Health & Welfare – The portfolio oversees all health related activities of the Association by working with Areas to deliver events to help ensure good healthy lifestyles for our members as well as offer education of healthy living. Under this portfolio there is also a special focus on disables and special needs members of the Association, via the Enabling Network committee.

Sewa Projects – This portfolio aims to overall see all national and international sewa projects, like the Oshwal Medical Camp and Oshwal Primary School building. In addition, the portfolio aims to develop further international sewa projects for members to volunteer in, such as teaching education internationally.

Education – The portfolio oversees all Gujarati Schools run by the Association by working with the Areas as well as hosting a range of children’s programmes such as Variety & Talent Show. Going forward the portfolio aims to also expand its activities by looks into personal development of all members, not just Gujarati School attendees, by providing initiatives to help develop presentation, leadership and mentoring skills.

Property Management – The portfolio oversees all repair and maintenance work on all properties of the Association by work with local Areas where there is a property. Going forward, the portfolio aims to co-ordinate with professional outsourced service providers of property management and development services as our Association undertakes various large scale property projects.

Media & Communication – The portfolio oversees all publications of the Association, primarily Oshwal News as well as electronic communication via our website and social media channels, while providing a robust policy framework to ensure again copyright breaches.

Membership Services – The portfolio aims to overall manage Membership numbers, onboarding as members, as well as the Directory project. Going forward, the portfolio aims to develop membership services by working with services providers like insurance companies, gyms, etc to provide discounted rates to our members.

Youth Culture – The portfolio oversees youth oriented actives which are not Sports related, to encourage greater engagement within our community from younger members. Activities and initiatives have included undertaking local and international treks, like Kilimanjaro Trek, which also raised funds for the Oshwal Medical Camp sewa work.

Sports & Leisure – The portfolio oversees youth clubs and Oshwal Sports Day by working with all Areas.

Professional development – The portfolio aims to develop greater engagement with younger members of our community at university, through develop a network which allows those at university to advise those think of going to university, as well as hosting events at universities. In addition, the aim is to oversee networking and professional development in our community, through hosting professional seminars and networking and mentoring events and initiatives.

Note, the exact role and responsibilities of each portfolio changes from time to time as per the needs of the Association, but the above is a brief summary of the current outlook of portfolios for 2018-2020 terms.

To learn about who is currently in the EC, click here.