• Independent Practitioners as a CS
• Corporate Sector

   

Forensic Accounting

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Cost Accountant

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Commerce

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Chartered Financial Analyst

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Chartered Accountant (CA)

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Certified Public Accountant

Certified Public Accountant or CPA provides accounting services to the public and organizations. They are primarily involved in auditing and attesting procedures. They are very well versed with accounting principles, business, and financial concep..

• Organize and prepare agendas and drafts for board meetings, committees, and annual general meetings
• Oversee policies, make sure they are kept up to date, and referred to the appropriate committee for approval
• Maintain statutory books, including registers of members, directors, and secretaries
• Deal with correspondence, collate information and write reports, ensure that decisions are made and communicated to the relevant company stakeholders
• Contribute to meeting discussions, and advise members on the legal, governance, accounting, and tax implications of proposed policies
• Monitor changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment and take appropriate action
• Liaise with external regulators and advisers, such as lawyers and auditors
• Take responsibility for the health and safety of employees and manage matters related to insurance and property

Career Pros Details

• It's a high status and respectable profession
• High salary packages and perks
• Handling affairs of the top management of the company

Career Cons Details

• Long hours of work
• Difficult to maintain work-life balance
• Requires hard-work and a lot of study

1 Multitasking skills

A Company Secretary has to keep a lot of balls in the air at the same time: preparing for meetings while making sure that corporate governance compliance is up to date; supporting communications between management and the board of directors, etc. “It’s very important to be able to juggle priorities,” writes one UK company secretary, “along with collaborating with a lot of people. Because the job does tend to be quite varied, you have a number of tasks on your desk at any one time, so you need to be able to keep it all going at the same time. But you also need to communicate well so that the people you’re working with understand what you have got on your plate and that they let you know what’s most important to get done first.”

2 Organisational knowledge.

The Company Secretary must understand the business and the context of their organisation. They must be able to translate governance theory into the appropriate frameworks, policies, and processes for their organisation. The chairperson will not only depend on the Company Secretary to bring compliance issues to the attention of the board of directors at meetings but also to provide solutions for implementing actions. The Company Secretary must be able to develop and implement these in a way that their organisation can readily understand and comply with, ICSA comments.

3 Planning skills 

A good Company Secretary must be ahead of the game, with plans in place at all times. This is essential, given that board and committee meeting cycles are schedule-driven and external and internal compliance obligations must be met on time. “This means you have to be good at project managing because there are always several ongoing projects that will require your attention at the same time,” the UK Company Secretary says.

4 An eye for detail. A command of the detail is required. A Company Secretary must ensure that the work of the board, in particular, as well as that of the larger organisation is executed correctly, without mistakes or omissions. For example, the Company Secretary acts as the shareholders’ first point of contact with your company. Circulation of announcements, correspondence regarding dividends, registration of share ownership, transfers, and all areas relating to shareholdings must all be managed seamlessly, as Deloitte writes in a recent report.

5 Effective communication skills

Company secretaries work with senior people – board members or directors, CEOs, senior executives, and often many senior external stakeholders (including regulators, investors, and funders). They must possess discretion, diplomacy, tact, emotional intelligence, and good negotiation skills. They must be able to listen well and effectively communicate both orally and in written form. The Company Secretary should build effective working relationships with all board members, offering impartial advice and acting in the best interests of the company. In promoting board development, the Company Secretary should assist the chairman with all development processes, including board evaluation, induction, and training. This should involve implementing a rigorous annual board, committee, and individual director assessment and ensuring that the actions arising from the reviews are completed, Deloitte continues.

6 Sound judgment

The ability to assess and make sound judgments, often in circumstances involving conflicting issues and ends, is a key requirement for a company secretary. This is especially so given the senior people with whom a Company Secretary has to deal. The Company Secretary also has an important role in communicating with external stakeholders, such as investors, and is often the first point of contact for queries. The Company Secretary should work closely with the chairman and the board to ensure that effective shareholder relations are maintained.