This is a series of short discussions with Company Secretaries over a coffee to take a glimpse into their careers and lives and thoughts on the profession. Let’s meet John Mills, Company Secretary at Santander UK – a leading banking and financial services business in the UK and part of the Banco Santander Group, the biggest banking group in Europe. A law graduate and qualified as both FCG and solicitor, John has worked across various industries for some of the most illustrious FTSE companies – including Forte, Barclays, Tibbet & Britten, Cadbury, RSA Insurance, Anglo American, Smiths Group ..read more

This is a series of discussions with company secretaries over a coffee to take a glimpse into their careers and lives and thoughts on the profession. Let’s meet James Schirn, Company Secretary at the FRC (Financial Reporting Council) – the regulator for auditors, accountants and actuaries and the body that sets the UK Corporate Governance and Stewardship Codes. A law graduate and FCG qualified, James has had a varied career spanning an overseas listed business, financial services and the not-for-profit sector. Prior to joining the FRC, James was Head of Governance at the ICAEW (Institute of Ch ..read more

It’s now been 6 months since I returned to work after having a year off on maternity leave (and went from having a docile baby to a boisterous toddler) – time flies! Becoming a parent is a monumental life event, and navigating paternity/maternity leave and returning to work can present unique challenges for Company Secretaries and Governance professionals. The focus of this article is maternity leave and returning to work as a mother, drawing on my personal experience, but it is encouraging to see more employers offering enhanced paternity leave and even more encouraging seeing fathers taking ..read more

It’s with a huge sense of pride that I announce that as of 1 December 2023, The Core Partnership is fully employee owned. This is a key milestone for the business which will preserve our independence and secure the long-term future of the business. The transition will also protect our values and culture and will mean that every Recruitment Partner is now an owner of the business and has a vested interest in building long-term relationships and your careers. This is a fantastic opportunity to build on our successes, and we are all very excited for this next phase of our growth. I will c ..read more

Since 2008, there has been no legal requirement for a non-listed company to have a company secretary. However, the data in recent years clearly demonstrates there has been a boom in the number of company secretaries outside the listed environment, particularly in the not-for-profit and public sectors.  A robust governance structure and framework, which really ensures transparency and compliance with the ongoing changes in regulations, is imperative. This has enabled the creation and development of a company secretary role which is far from purely administrative, but increasingly strategic ..read more

With many of you returning to your desks, following what we hope were splendid summer holidays, we thought we’d recap on the developments and insights that have emerged in the governance market these past few months. The FRC is currently taking on a more active role in monitoring and reinforcing governance reporting standards in various areas, including climate change and sustainability, geopolitical events, and digital security and risk, among others. Whilst the FRC’s focus has traditionally been on listed companies’ reporting, its plans for 2023/24 is also to review a selection of private co ..read more

Interviews can be a daunting prospect, yet also an equally rewarding and helpful part of a job application process. Going in prepared is an important way of curbing interview-anxiety. Most interviews will include competency-based questions which will help the hiring managers gauge your skills and qualities. These questions will prompt you to use real-life examples and a key technique used in interviews by candidates (particularly those who are successful!) is the STAR method. By using this method, you are given a fool-proof guide on how to answer difficult questions in a structured way, w ..read more

With inflation at its highest rate in 30 years, we’re witnessing salaries rise rapidly too – but to what extent have things changed in the past 12 months? We’re keen to put the spotlight on the Company Secretarial and Governance market once again. Of course, we will look at salaries, bonuses and packages, but we’re also keen to look at ‘work-life balance’ and how companies are returning to the office, what have been the greatest challenges and what the new world of work will look like post pandemic. Please take just 10 minutes to participate (anonymously) – and share this link with your team a ..read more

Although not a new concept, shareholder activism has been prominent in the news – and likely in UK Boardrooms – in recent weeks and months. A combination of factors, including Brexit, the pandemic and robust corporate governance, have seen activist investors migrate from a saturated US market to Europe and the UK particularly, with the depressed price of UK PLCs proving to be a big draw. With at least 9 FTSE-100 organisations currently having activist investors on their shareholder register, it is large cap and underperforming companies that have different business lines and geographies that t ..read more

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the role of the Company Secretary has never been in greater demand.  Vacancy levels have increased month on month since March, but now ‘fill rates’ have slowed somewhat due to the shortage of candidates that is becoming apparent at all levels.   With the conclusion of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) consultation and its wide-ranging proposals for improving audit and corporate governance, the new regulator is being established, the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA).   Consequently, boards are l ..read more