Company Secretary (With UK-listed experience)

Company Secretary (With UK-listed experience)

Job Description

We are seeking a qualified Company Secretary to lead our corporate secretarial solution in the IQ-EQ UK Corporate team. We provide corporate governance services to a diverse client base which includes listed, regulated and private companies, fund vehicles and special purpose vehicles.

The Company Secretary will be involved in providing expert services to both listed companies and non-listed, as well as managing and advising other team members on, among other areas, the Listing Rules, the Market Abuse Regulation, the Companies Acts and corporate governance generally. The role will suit an individual who has gained solid experience working in a client services environment, with listed company experience, significant board support experience as well as expert support to clients.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and oversee a team of two assistant Company Secretaries, providing guidance, mentoring and training to the team members.
• Provide ongoing service to our client’s PLC boards, their committees and subsidiaries.
• Preparation of AGM, drafting notice of meeting and proxy form, liaison with registrars, arranging venue, dealing with enquiries from investors/voting agencies in relation to the business of the meeting, chasing proxies and arranging letters of representation if required, preparation of the Chairman’s script for the meeting, attending meeting, signing in shareholders, taking minutes.
• Board, Committee and Shareholder meetings – preparation of agenda, attendance and documenting post-meeting action points and maintaining minutes.
• Preparation and circulation of notices, consents, borrower approval requests and resolutions.
• Preparing, coordinating and releasing the regulatory announcements on behalf of the client companies using RNS Submit.
• Ensuring statutory compliance with the Listing Rules, Companies Act and other regulatory requirements including statutory filings and administration following allotment of shares, transfers of shares are made in a timely manner.
• Ensuring our client’s boards comply with all regulatory, legislative and governance best practice.
• Attending to regulatory, statutory and governance reporting requirements – maintenance of corporate registers, director details and records for the entity and copies of all contracts with third parties.
• Ensure timely compliance and filing of all statutory submissions and annual returns of the clients.
• Review of all legal documentation regarding transaction closings and restructures including frequent contact with the client to ensure all requests are dealt with in a timely manner.
• Oversight in relation to the maintenance and timely update of ICSA Diligent Company Secretarial records and managing the statutory filings and administration following any statutory change of company details.
• Liaising with external providers of professional services including lawyers, auditors and registrars, as required.
• Review of documents being submitted to the Boards.
• Providing guidance to the Boards/management on any new applicable law/regulations.
• Managing regular share allotments, capital reductions, share transfers and share consolidations/subdivisions/re-designations.
• Managing dividend payments and other distributions including distributions in specie.
• Supporting with the provision of company or director KYC/due diligence documentation.
• Ongoing management and ownership of client deliverables, ensuring all deadlines are met by the team.

Qualifications

• University graduate with an excellent academic background and ICSA qualification is required.
• Experience of servicing board and committee meetings, sound and competent minute-taking skills and general boardroom exposure; confident and able to deal with colleagues and clients at all levels, including board directors and NEDs.
• Experience of complex and routine company secretarial transactions and filing and notification requirements, using company secretarial software and Companies House web-filing.
• Essential to have previous experience of the rules of the FCA, the London Stock Exchange and the corporate governance code.
• 7-10 years of relevant working experience in client services and/or financial services.
• Previous management experience with the ability to guide, train and oversee support staff.
• Works collaboratively with peers and colleagues.
• Ability to work efficiently and within extreme tight deadlines with a methodical and consistent approach.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Extremely organised and the ability to multi-task, shifting priorities as needed.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and strong client service skills.
• Ability to maintain quality and focus while working through repetitive tasks.
• Ability to multi-task a busy workload, delegate items to team members as necessary, and facilitate complex tasks where required.
• Ability to both delve into details but also summarise key findings in a succinct and professional manner tailored to Senior Management and Board-level audience.
• Proactively takes ownership of work with a drive for results.
• Demonstrates high levels of integrity, equality and diversity in their approach to work.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.