ICC Sri Lanka and SLID facilitates refresher program for Company Secretaries

Friday, 25 January 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) and the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID) will facilitate a refresher program on ‘The Role of a Company Secretary’ on 7 February at the Hilton Colombo Residences, with knowledge partner the Association of Board/Company Secretaries of Banks in Sri Lanka. This comprehensive course will explain the duties of a company secretary, providing you with a thorough understanding of the role, and will ensure you are fully up-to-date and compliant with your legal responsibilities, as well as understanding your role with Board Directors.

In modern business, Company Secretaries are key managerial personnel occupying pivotal positions in their companies. They have a central role in fostering good governance practices, and supporting the development of highly functioning Boards. The Company Secretary is a resource and confidante to the Board and senior management, providing advice and counsel on Board responsibilities and duties. They are integral to the company’s corporate governance, as the glue behind effective decision-making and advancing priorities. The Company Secretary is the guardian of the company’s reputation, playing a pivotal role in maintaining the company’s legal and social license to operate.

For Company Secretaries to carry out their role effectively they should be “commercially minded” or aware. To be commercially aware, an individual must understand the business he or she is in, and make good practical decisions as a result. For the Company Secretary, this means having the ability to advise the board in a way that supports the board in making effective decisions. To be commercially aware, a Company Secretary should be able to understand how their organisation makes money and creates value, understand what their organisation needs, have a thorough understanding of their organisation’s competitive advantage and keep up to date with the industry/sector that their organisation operates within.

The program will provide participants on the important role and responsibilities of the Company Secretary when incorporating a company, statutory recodes that must be kept, documentation with the Company Registrar etc. In addition, the session will also cover what needs to be done before, during and after a board meeting in preparation, board logistics, best practices, and on how to organise shareholder meetings. The role of the Directors would be covered in the final segment followed by a panel discussion.

The session will benefit Board members, CXO’s, legal and compliance officers and will be held on 7 February. More information on this program can be obtained from the ICCSL Secretariat on 0115920067/ by email to [email protected] and from SLID on 0112575295.