Election Issue: Director of Sponsorship - Anjali Iyer

Special Issue: Melbourne University Law Students' Society Elections

Issue 7, Semester 2

What does the Director of Sponsorship bring to the character and functioning of the LSS? Why are you suitable for this role?

The Director of Sponsorship is responsible for negotiating sponsorship agreements to ensure that the LSS has adequate funding to run its initiatives. 
I have been on the LSS now for almost two years, first as Careers Officer and most recently as Careers Director. Both of these roles are sponsor-facing, so I have experience liaising with sponsors, fulfilling sponsorship agreements and developing sponsor relationships for future committees. I am best placed to build on the existing relationships we have with sponsors to make sure that they continue to invest in initiatives for the MLS student cohort.  
My experience on the LSS also means that I have an understanding of the way the institution runs, which is vital because the Director of Sponsorship also forms part of the Leadership Team, alongside the President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and Secretary. Having this understanding means that I can contribute meaningfully to executive decision making, and make sure the LSS is achieving its main objective: acting in the best interests of the student body. 

If successful, what do you most hope to achieve, and do differently, in your term as Director of Sponsorship?

I want to make sponsorship work in the best interests of students. Our sponsors tend to be private practice firms, simply because of the amount of resources those firms have.  I intend to maintain existing relationships, but also forge new partnerships with organisations that are of interest to our students. I wish to institute alternate pricing regimes for government and public interest organisations so that they aren’t priced out of being involved with MLS. 
I am also passionate about instituting an ethical sponsorship model. This idea stems from our desire to know where our funding is coming from and what those firms stand for. We want to know that we are accepting funds only from firms who align with our values, especially regarding D&I initiatives as well as mental health and wellbeing policies.

​For more on the 2020 Elections and to view candidate profiles, visit the MULSS website here.

Voting is open from 9am Monday 9 September till 5pm Friday 13 September.