Roles and responsibilities
Company secretaries in all sectors have high level responsibilities including governance structures and mechanisms, corporate conduct within an organisation's regulatory environment, board, shareholder and trustee meetings, compliance with legal, regulatory and listing requirements, the training and induction of non-executives and trustees, contact with regulatory and external bodies, reports and circulars to shareholders/trustees, management of employee benefits such as pensions and employee share schemes, insurance administration and organisation, the negotiation of contracts, risk management, property administration and organisation and the interpretation of financial accounts. Company secretaries are the primary source of advice on the conduct of business and this can span everything from legal advice on conflicts of interest, through accounting advice on financial reports, to the development of strategy and corporate planning.Bangladesh
China
In China, every listed company is required to have a board secretary. According to article 124 of 2005 Company Law, every listed company is required to have a secretary to the board of directors. The responsibilities of board secretary include preparing meetings of shareholders and boards of directors, maintaining company records and shareholders information, dealing with information disclosure etc. Relevant listing rules in China further clarify that the secretary of the Board is a managerial position. Such listing rules discuss duties of board secretary in details. According to "''Special Provisions of the State Council Concerning the Flotation and Listing Abroad of Stocks by Limited Stock Companies''", "''Guidance for the Articles of Listed Company", "Stock Listing Rules of the Shanghai Stock Exchange" and "Stock Listing Rules of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange",'' the secretary of the Board is classified as the senior management team. From those listing rules, the board secretary, or the secretary of the board of directors, in China is comparable as the company secretary in many other countries.India
In India, "The Institute of Company Secretaries of India" (ICSI) regulates the profession of company secretaries . ICSI is a statutory professional body which has over 70000 associate members. Additionally, ICSI has over 200,000 students registered for the company secretary course. India is projected to need around 100,000 company secretaries by 2030 Chartered Secretaries are employed as chairs, chief executives and non-executive directors, as well as executives and company secretaries. Some chartered secretaries are also known in their own companies as corporate secretarial executives/managers or corporate secretarial directors.Ireland
All companies registered under the Companies Act 2014 are required to appoint a company secretary, who may also be a company director. The company secretary of a private limited company must have "the skills or resources necessary to discharge his or her statutory and other duties" while that of a public limited company must meet two out of the three following criteria before appointment: Although the Company Secretary is an officer of the company, the Companies Acts do not expressly state the duties of a secretary. The following statutory duties are commonly, but not exclusively, undertaken by the Company Secretary: The following non-statutory duties are commonly, but not exclusively, undertaken by the Company Secretary: The status of "Chartered Secretary" is reserved for qualifying members of the Irish branch of the Chartered Governance Institute.Malaysia
In Malaysia, the Companies Act 2016 Companies Act 2016 of MalaysiaSingapore
Every company in Singapore must appoint a company secretary within six months of incorporation, as required by ACRA. If the company has only one director, he or she cannot be the Corporate Secretary. The responsibilities of the Corporate Secretary include the following: * Filing Annual Returns: Prepares and files accurate company information with ACRA. * Maintaining Statutory Registers: Updates records like directors, shareholders, and charges. * Monitoring Deadlines: Ensures AGMs, filings, and other requirements are met on time. * Liaising with ACRA: Manages correspondence for changes in company details or appointments. For public companies, the Secretary must be a registered filing agent or a qualified individual.South Africa
In South Africa, all public and state-owned company must appoint a company secretary. The roles and responsibilities of the company secretary are defined in the ''Companies Act, No 71 of 2008''. For publicly listed companies, these roles were clarified and expanded by the King IV report. In addition, non-profit companies that have voluntarily adopted the "Enhanced Accountability and Transparency" provisions of the Companies Act must appoint a company secretary whose role is comparable to that of a public company.Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, the ''Companies Act, No. 07 of 2007'' requires that each registered company has a company secretary. A company secretary is required to be registered with the Department of Registrar of Companies, to function as a company secretary. Eligibility to function as a secretary are; *Sri Lankan citizen *An Attorney at law, a Chartered Accountant or any person demanded have followed a program of study by the Subject Minister *Applicants with over 20 years experience in the company secretaries field may be appointed after an interview with the Registrar of Companies.United Kingdom
Since 8 April 2008 there has been no legal requirement for a private company in the UK to have a company secretary unless the company'sUnited States of America
The role of the corporate secretary is governed by state corporation law in the United States and is commonly, but not exclusively, responsible for the following: The role of the corporate secretary has become increasingly crucial among publicly traded companies in North America, with a growing emphasis on providing guidance on corporate governance matters. Sound corporate governance is deemed essential for both board and company performance, especially in the eyes of shareholders, particularly institutional investors. In certain corporations, the corporate secretary's function as a corporate governance adviser has been formalized, often reflected in a revised title such as Chief Governance Officer added to their existing designation. In view of the important roles the company secretary plays in business, PLCs and large companies require the company secretary to be suitably trained, experienced and professionally qualified for these responsibilities. Many corporate secretaries of North American public companies are lawyers and some serve as their corporation'sReferences
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