Equipping Company Secretarial Teams for Evolving Challenges and Demands

PUBLISHED: 11th May 2021

Boards of directors are the focus of increasing scrutiny in terms of their decisions and their overall performance. 

Boards rely on their Company Secretarial advisers for guidance and support.  Now may be an opportune time for Boards to review the existing governance, statutory and regulatory compliance, procedures and protocols to ensure your organisation is efficient, compliant, and adhering to best practice.

The following are often triggers for organisations to ensure that their operating model is efficient in terms of live business needs, role responsibilities and resource requirements.

• The pressure of handling increased demands being placed on the Company Secretarial team, due to increased regulations and the expectations of the Board.
• A need to revive and realign the role of the Company Secretarial support in the organisation and to communicate the importance of this to the board and organisation.
• A desire to evolve with the pace of growth and change within the organisation.

We conduct Independent Company Secretarial Effectiveness Reviews, in which we consider these key triggers in conjunction with the following:

• People: correct organisational design in terms of areas of responsibility, resource requirements and value.
• Procedures: opportunities to enhance operating efficiencies and governance procedures.
• Technology: the use of technology,  for example, to manage the Board processes and automate compliance requirements.

Working with the current Company Secretary and engaging with the relevant stakeholders, we will assess the various activities and tasks required of the team throughout the corporate year.  This includes benchmarking the support that your Board and any Committees receive and how compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements are managed and controlled.