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Executive Committee elections: Could you lead the SPA?
After we have received the annual reports, financial statements and debated each motion, we move to the third and final section of the AGM - SPA elections. This is your chance to shape the future of the SPA from within, by joining our top team for the 2026/27 academic year.
What roles are available?
There are seven roles available at this year’s AGM, six of which are on our Executive Committee - Chair, Communications Officer, Conference and Events Officer, Training and Opportunities Officer, Sponsorship Officer, and Membership Officer. Each is responsible for a core function of the SPA’s work.
Chair
The Chair of the SPA leads the team and oversees all of our activities, events, opportunities and work throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. They chair meetings with the Executive Committee, trustees and wider team. They will also be the public face of the SPA, overseeing our campaigning, lobbying and financial interests.
"Certainly the biggest joy has been supporting my amazing team to achieve amazing things! I’m particularly proud that we’ve launched the SPA’s Membership Hub with our exclusive member resources, hosted seven regional conferences and overhauled the SPANC bidding process.”
Matthew Stothard
Chair
Communications Officer
The Communications Officer is responsible for maintaining contact between the SPA team and its membership across the UK and Republic of Ireland. They are responsible for curating our newsletter, managing the SPA Spotlight podcast, and working with the Digital Media Officer to establish communications strategies via email and social media. They also minute SPA team meetings.
“If you enjoy collaborating and getting to know like-minded people this role is for you. Bonus points if you write a decent email! This charity is also an amazing way to meet others who feel strongly that journalism should be an accessible industry.”
Rosie Peters-McDonald
Communications Officer
Conference and Events Officer
The Conference and Events Officer is the lead organisational figure behind all of our events, Regional Conferences and annual National Conference. They have oversight over all of the events that the SPA runs throughout the year, and work closely with Regional Officers on their conferences, and with the wider team to facilitate SPANC every year.
“The conference and events role is a great opportunity to get stuck in with all aspects of the SPA. As the go-to person for all things events, you really get to develop lots of different skills and make your mark on student media.”
Joe McFadden
Conference and Events Officer
Training and Opportunities Officer
The Training and Opportunities Officer is responsible for creating and organising training resources, events and sessions for SPA members. As well as maintaining and adding to our Membership Hub, they are tasked with increasing opportunities for our members to upskill, connecting them to the journalism industry.
“This has allowed me to learn a lot about what students are most interested in learning and reporting on, which is an exciting view of what the future of the journalism industry I am stepping into may look like.”
Oisín McGilloway
Training and Opportunities Officer
Sponsorship Officer
The Sponsorship Officer is charged with gaining sponsorship from businesses, brands and titles sympathetic to our work. They manage event budgets, secure advertising and sponsorship for the SPA, as well as supporting SPA members attempting to do the same for their own publications.
“Securing fantastic sponsors for this year's events has shown me just how much support exists for the next generation of journalists, and I'm proud to have played a part in making a real difference for our members this year.”
Isabella Ankerson
Sponsorship Officer
Membership Officer
The Membership Officer is responsible for processing SPA membership applications, onboarding new members and supporting member publications who need support from the SPA. They proactively seek and encourage new membership and support other members of the Executive Committee and Regional Officers when required.
“If you are worried about having enough time to take on a role, the team is always there to support you and there is a lot of flexibility.”
Heather Gosling
Membership Officer
As well as our six Executive Committee seats, we will also be electing a trustee to join the board.
Trustee
An SPA Trustee ensures that the SPA continuously strives and works towards its charitable aims. Responsible for ensuring that we meet our legal and financial obligations, trustees are tasked with maintaining strong relationships with those in the journalism industry, supporting all student members of the SPA in achieving their goals, and overseeing and facilitating the process of creating events and opportunities for our members.
“In eight amazing years of being a Trustee of the SPA, I’ve helped us achieve real differences to student publications and support for the next generation of journalists. I’ve learned an incredible amount - from charity law to design, event planning to understanding the emerging themes in modern journalism from those coming up through the ranks.”
Aubrey Allegretti
Trustee
Who can run for a role?
To be eligible for a role on our Executive Committee, you must be a member of the SPA. Membership can be achieved in two ways: 1) By being a member of any official SPA member publication or 2) By having successfully been awarded individual membership of the SPA. You also must not have previously served two terms on our Executive Committee.
Anyone is eligible to run for our trusteeship. However, due to the nature and requirements of the role, we are particularly looking for those who have at least five years professional experience in the journalism industry, or other related fields, who have good connections with practicing journalists, and who are able to assist the SPA in sponsorship efforts.
How do I run for a role?
The SPA AGM is being held on Sunday 29th March at #SPANC26. Anyone who is eligible can decide to stand on the day during our AGM. Once called, candidates will be invited to give a short speech to the membership, before fielding questions and members being given the opportunity to vote. The SPA operates a one-publication-one-vote system, meaning that publications vote singularly, regardless of their total membership, or number of #SPANC26 delegates.
If you are not attending #SPANC26, you are still eligible to stand. However, you must do so by proxy. In order to arrange a proxy to stand in your place, contact emma@spajournalism.com and jem@spajournalism.com, who will begin this process. Similarly, if your publication is not attending #SPANC26, contact Emma and Jem to arrange to vote online. Please note that if your publication chooses to vote online, you will be unable to vote in-person at #SPANC26. Please submit any proxy or online voting requests by 5pm on Thursday 19th March.
The SPA elections are a fantastic opportunity to join the UK and Republic of Ireland’s largest student journalism charity, and to put your journalism skills to use in a brand new challenge. Good luck!
