As a key member of the corporate governance team, the Corporate Secretary plays a critical role in the boardroom. They ensure that the company’s Board of Directors and committees comply with their legal responsibilities to shareholders, employees and investors. The job requires excellent organizational skills and a thorough understanding of corporate governance issues.
The duties of the Corporate Secretary often evolve over time as the company grows and develops. The secretary must be able to adjust to changes in the corporation’s operations, business climate and leadership style.
A corporate secretary serves as an advocate for the company’s board members, ensuring that they are aware of their roles and responsibilities. They also provide orientation, education and training to new directors and facilitate board evaluations.
They are also responsible for managing director and officer insurance issues, including securing coverage for the board members and executive officers. They maintain compliance with federal, state and local laws governing the conduct of business.
Their responsibilities include preparing the company’s annual report, financial statement and shareholder information. They serve as an interface between the board and the executive management team, ensuring that all reporting and other documents meet corporate governance guidelines.
In addition to serving as an administrative and managerial role, the Read More – Corporate Secretary has an important role in advising the board on corporate strategy and guiding the implementation of strategic plans. They also work to develop a long-term agenda for the company’s meetings.
Another important role of the Corporate Secretary is drafting and recording minutes for all meetings. This includes Board of Director and committee meetings as well as annual shareholders’ meetings.
The minutes are an essential part of the company’s record keeping and governance process, so it is vital for them to be accurate and detailed. They are also an important source of information for the CEO, CFO and the rest of the management team.
Corporate secretaries must make sure that they are able to provide an adequate and accurate record of Board and committee meetings. This can include creating agendas and inviting the right people to attend, reserving meeting space and addressing all logistical issues in advance of a meeting.
Depending on the size of a company, these tasks can be quite extensive and require considerable time and effort. It is therefore crucial for a corporate secretary to have access to the best board meeting management software.
This technology can help them save time on meeting management and archiving, while helping to avoid a loss of data as the company grows and changes. It can also be used to keep track of changes in compliance obligations and dates for regulator filings.
A corporate secretary can also use board evaluation software to streamline the board of director evaluation process, especially if it involves multiple question structures and extensive answer styles for directors. With a secure solution like Govenda Surveys, they can create a custom questionnaire for every director with a variety of options for response.