Elections
The UCB Guild of Students is led by our elected student officers who represent the voice of the student body, making important decisions that impact your university experience.
Our elections give you the power to choose (or put yourself as) the student leaders who will guide our student community, advocate for your needs, and ensure that UCB is a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive place to study.
Key Dates
Campaigning Begins: 00:00 19th May
Voting Opens: 10am Tuesday 20th May
Voting Closes: 12pm Thursday 22nd May
Results Announced: Friday 23rd May
ANY QUESTIONS? email elections@ucbguild.co.uk
2025 education pto byelection – Meet your candidates
Khushi
Khushi for Clarity – Your Voice in Every Lecture Hall!
Hi! I’m Khushi – an enthusiastic, approachable, and committed student who believes in empowering others through education. I’m passionate about creating a supportive academic environment where every student feels heard, valued, and motivated.
1. Increased Academic Support: Work towards increasing access to academic resources and raising awareness about the importance of using ethical and reliable sources when completing assignments.
2. Empowering Course Reps: Advocate for more opportunities for Reps to get involved in wider academic projects, including attending graduate advantage sessions. This helps raise awareness of career pathways while allowing the education officer to focus on strategic work.
3. Create an inclusive education environment for community.
My vision is to make an inclusive education environment for all the cultural students, including LGBTQ+ in the UCB campus. I aim to enhance communication, promote transparency, and support inclusive learning. I will work collaboratively with the team to ensure the UCB Guild functions smoothly, efficiently, and with every student’s voice in mind—creating a more connected, supportive, and empowering academic environment for all.
Sakina Mehmood
Your voice is my priority!
My name is Sakina and I’m a FDSC bakery and patisserie student who is passionate about students having their own voice and opinions, I also love to help people with any issues they may have small or big. I also believe that people should be allowed to have their say about their education and their University/college life.
1. helping students who would love to be a course rep, but very shy and worried – I believe that there should be someone that can give words of encouragement to those students who would love the opportunity, but they just need some reassurance.
2. Helping students with mental health as this can have a big impact on day-to-day activities like coursework or a group activity, I would love to help people get access to these services to allow you to get the best help for your education.
3. Disability support for example, people who are struggling with learning difficulties like dyslexia ADHD autism and many others – I would love to help you access the support that you deserve. For example, myself I am a student who has visual dyslexia who is unable to see certain colours. Helping to access this support will be my priority.
I promise to make your voice my priority.
Shailesh Bhadana
Leading with vision, Representing with purpose – Vote Shailesh!
Hi, I’m Shailesh Bhadana, an MSc Enterprise Management student, who wants to make our
university a more supportive, inclusive, and fun place for everyone. I will be a part-time
Education Officer who listens, takes action, and never stops pushing for better. I understand
the challenges we face and want to ensure that every student’s voice is heard and valued in
shaping our academic journey.
1. Peer Mentorship Programs: Launch student-led tutoring or study groups, especially useful
for new international students.
2. Stronger Induction & Integration Programs: Support smoother transitions for
international students through cultural events and buddy systems.
3. Build a More Connected Community: Organise regular social events like cultural nights,
movie screenings, quiz nights, and open mic events to help students from all backgrounds
connect.
As a passionate advocate for students, I bring valuable experience in represen7ng student
voices, a deep understanding of university policies, and a clear vision for posi7ve change. I’m
dedicated to enhancing the student experience and ensuring your concerns are heard. With
proven leadership skills, a proac7ve approach to problem-solving, and a strong commitment
to academic and personal success for all students, I am ready to be the representa7ve you
can count on.
February 2025 Elections:
The Students Have Spoken!
As we publish the results of the 2025 February Guild Elections, we would like to take a moment to thank all 2,253 students who voted and made their voices heard, the Guild team who worked tirelessly to support all candidates and voters from the first day of Nominations until Results Day, and the countless University College Birmingham staff who have supported the Guild in the last weeks.
Lastly, we would like to say a big thanks to all of the candidates who stepped up to represent their peers, and who showed such motivation and dedication to create change and make UCB better for all students. We see the hard work you’ve put in this week, and whether you have been elected into Office or not, we are very proud of you.
And now, without further ado, here is the new Guild Officer Team for the 2025/26 academic year:
Your new full-time Education Officer is Soham.
Your new part-time Education Officer is Lauren. We will have a By-Election for the remaining post.
Your new full-time Societies & Activities Officer is Saroj.
Your new part-time Societies & Activities Officers are Bishal and Sagar.
Your new full-time Equality & Wellbeing Officer is Kunal.
Your new part-time Equality & Wellbeing Officers are Dhruv and Harley.
Detailed Results
Like most Students’ Unions, we use Single Transferable Voting (STV) where each student can choose to rank their candidates. When the votes are counted, every student has only one vote, but it can be reassigned based on their preferences if their top choice doesn’t win. To do this, the counting takes place over several ’rounds’ as the votes are transferred, with a winner needing more than 50% of the votes remaining.
The full vote count is available below:
What happens now
After every election, the National Union of Students review the key statistics and any concerns before certifying the election. The 2025 Officer elections have been certified by NUS, meaning that they have been confirmed as free and fair.
The Guild’s Board of Trustees then reviews the elections in detail to examine opportunities to improve in the future. The Guild Director will also present a report to the Board covering the 12 complaints that were received during this year’s election (2024: 25 complaints).
If you have feedback that you would like to share, please contact Mike (Head of Operations) on mike@ucbguild.co.uk.
Campaigning Resource Hub
All the currently available resources related to our elections, all in one place!
