Career Advice In Singapore

The Company Secretary is a senior corporate officer with wide-ranging responsibilities. In today's world, he serves as a focal point for communication with the board of directors, senior management and the company's shareholders, and occupies a key advisory role in the administration of critical corporate legal matters.

He is often confident and counsellor to the Chief Executive Officer and other members of senior management, especially on corporate governance affairs pertaining to businesses and company law.

Job Scope
Under the Companies Act, every company is required to have a Company Secretary. He need not be professionally qualified, possess a law degree, or be a practicing member of Icpas, but must be able to perform these functions competently:

• Maintain minute books, update statutory and corporate registers and records
• Submit annual returns and attend to all company matters in compliance with the Companies Act and statutory reporting and file with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) and other regulatory bodies
• E-file and update information on the Acra website
• Organise director's meetings, board and shareholder's meetings, and take minutes of such meetings
• Act as a link between the shareholders and directors of the company
• Ensure that the company and its directors comply with the Singapore Companies Act
• Set up Singapore and offshore companies
• Supervise the application of Emplyment passes

Personal Qualities

• Have in-depth understanding of the Companies Act, and general understanding of legal and financial matters
• Able to explain complex matters simply to the layman
• Have a good judegment to give advice to decision makers
• Possess good presentation skills
• Good command of spoken and written English, with fluency in spoken and written Mandarin an advantage
• Possess initiative, a pleasant personality and be a team player

Entry Requirements

• Qualified Accountant with local CPA membership or
• Qualified lawyer or
• Chartered Secretary ( Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators ( ICSA),UK)

Career Opportunities
In public practice, you may start out in the Company Secretary role as an assistant. You can advance through the ranks to become a Manager, Senior Manager and ultimately Director.

You can also move into Commerce and the industry as an in-house Company Secretary or an external Company Secretarial Consultant or work in the trust and wealth management industry to incorporate underlying companies and maintain clients' statutory registers and records.