Company Secretary

The role of the Company Secretary is vital to delivering sustainable business performance and has emerged from the shadows in recent years to become a critical part of an organisation’s executive team, acting as a valuable intermediary between the business and the Board. Our clients recognise that a strong Chief Governance Officer is critical to safeguarding their business and driving an enterprise-wide approach to corporate governance.

Leathwaite has a strong track record in company secretarial search. We support and advise clients within both financial services and corporates to add to their company secretarial function at a senior level. We work with a wide range of clients ranging from large global listed entities to small-cap firms, supporting them across the UK, Europe and Asia Pacific. We undertake executive search for senior permanent and interim candidates as well as market mapping projects and salary benchmarking.

Company Secretary 2020 Survey - Responding to COVID-19

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This recent survey looking at the response of the company secretarial function to the COVID-19 crisis encourages us, not only that progress has been made, but also that these challenging circumstances, no matter how unwanted, may constitute a very real opportunity for change.

Respondents to the survey identify an appetite for, and a potential pathway to, establishing the role of a Chief Governance Officer, thereby expanding the remit of the Company Secretary and changing, for the better, the enterprise-wide approach to corporate governance.

Company Secretary, GC and Board whitepapers and reports:

We produce a regular company secretary survey to gauge the industry views on relevant topics and market changes, and publish and share these results. We enjoy hosting company secretary events and roundtables, focusing on the changes and challenges to the function. Please get in touch if you would like to be included in these.

Company Secretary - recent global track record:

Head of Secretariat, FTSE 250 Corporate
Head of Board and Board Committees Plc, FTSE 100 Corporate
Group Company Secretary, Investment Company
Interim Governance Director, Investment Bank
Group Global Company Secretary, Leading Financial Services organisation
Global Head of Subsidiary Governance, FTSE 100 Corporate
Senior Company Secretary, Asia Pacific Conglomerate

Good governance is not a ‘nice-to-have’, it’s a must-have. The current crisis has thrown up big questions for boards. Rarely has the ability of large companies to weigh risk and opportunity been put under such strain.
Charlotte Valeur, Chair of the IoD