Role of a Company Secretary

Company secretary is also called by other terms as listed below, EXCEPT

• corporate secretary

• file keeper

• board secretary

• chief administrative officer

Which of the statements below is INCORRECT?

• A qualified and competent company secretary will provide sound corporate governance advice.

• A qualified and competent company secretary will comply with the rules and procedures and advocates the adoption of the corporate governance practices.

• A qualified and competent company secretary will attend to the stakeholders of the company.

• A qualified and competent company secretary must have close relationship with the stakeholders of the company.

Which of the statements below is INCORRECT?

• In India, it is mandatory for all companies regardless of its status listed or non-listed to have a company secretary.

• In the United Kingdom, it is mandatory for all companies regardless of its status listed or non-listed to have a company secretary.

• In Malaysia, it is mandatory for all companies regardless of its status listed or non-listed to have a company secretary.

• In Malaysia, the company secretary shall be a member of professional bodies prescribed by the Minister or a person who holds a valid licence issued by the Companies Commission of Malaysia

The authors below have divided the roles of company secretary into three dimensions; which are technical, commercial and social. Who are they?

• Kakabadse, Khan and Kakabadse (2016)

• Baker and Thomson (2015)

• Turbull and Smith (2017)

• Gregory and Johnson (2018)

Listed below are the roles of a company secretary towards shareholders as pointed out by Gregory (2012), EXCEPT

• Provide notice of and organize the annual shareholders’ meeting

• Organize and contribute to preparation of the proxy statement.

• Declaring dividends

• Stay current on changing expectations of shareholders.

Gregory (2012) points out that CS plays the role relating to the CEO and Management, EXCEPT

• Record and maintain the minutes of board and committee meetings.

• Organize and assist in compiling and preparing board and committee materials.

• Organize annual vacation for directors

• Advise the board on corporate governance duties and practices and shareholder interests

How can a CS improve shareholder communications?

• Organising annual family day with all stakeholders

• Using plain English to relay information to shareholder

• Include executive summaries and charts in proxy statements.

• Directly interacting with key institutional investor

How can you become an effective CS?

• able to combine business acumen and technical knowledge with an understanding of human nature and group dynamics

• A corporate secretary must also be able to share the company's developments and progress in social media

• Strong communication skills are essential, and the ability to foster and maintain cooperative relationships with stakeholders

• A corporate secretary must also be able to maintain confidentiality when necessary

The role of the corporate secretary has expanded over the past decade due to situations listed below, EXCEPT

• the growing pressures to engage actively in social media

• an increase in corporate governance-related regulations

• the enhanced emphasis on the role of independent directors on the board

• the growing pressures to engage actively with shareholders

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

• The ability of the board and its committees to provide effective oversight and governance is not dependent on the quality and the timeliness of information that directors receive about corporate matters

• The role of a modern company secretary involves helping to ensure that appropriate matters are on the agendas of the board and its committees.

• At present, Boards do not rely more heavily on independent director.

• A modern company secretary is not required to combine business acumen and technical knowledge with an understanding of human nature and group dynamics