For most PSC contractors, having a company secretary is not necessary, and indeed including provision within the company’s memorandum and articles can just be a hassle needing to appoint a new company secretary, if the previous one resigns. Secretary who is also a director of the company. A qualified Company Secretary, well-conversant with all the aspects of company management, is in a better position to give right advice to the Board of Directors. The background and expertise of the company secretary can be an indicator of a depth of experience in analysing information and providing options, which is considered by many board members—and the company secretaries who assist them—as one of the mainstays of good decision-making. Multi-tasking is fundamental for a company secretary, as are highly refined … The term "whole-time secretary" itself indicates that the Company Secretary must be in the employment of the company. While the Companies Act does not generally specify the role of the company secretary, they usually undertake the following duties: Maintaining the company’s statutory books, including: a register of … The company secretary should work closely with the chairman and the Board to ensure that effective shareholder relations are maintained. Essentially, Company Secretary is an employee with advisory powers. Rights and Liabilities of the Company Secretary: Rights of a Company Secretary emanate from the Companies Act on the one hand and his service contract on the other. The sole director of a company and the company secretary cannot be the same person. The Company Secretary plays a pivotal role in organising the work of the board of directors. Disclosure and reporting The secretary is an officer of the company and their duties can be wide ranging. Tasks such as managing board evaluations and taking the board meeting minutes are combined with administering communication with management and carefully targeting messages to shareholders. Even though the Singapore Companies Act doesn’t define the role, duties and responsibilities of a company secretary, he or she is the officer primarily responsible for administrative and reporting functions mandated by law. This article discusses the meaning of company secretary, their roles and responsibilities in the company; it also deliberates on the company secretary's various traits on par with the chief executive officer and attempts to justify that a company secretary can become a chief executive officer. Chief Executive Officer and/or Managing Director. The position of company secretary must not be left vacant for more than 6 months. An assistant or deputy secretary, who is generally appointed to help the company secretary, can act only if the office of secretary is vacant or the secretary is otherwise unable to act for any reason. A company secretary is therefore of most value to the company if they can act as an independent opinion, with enough confidence to offer their own view to the board. The company secretary also has an important role in communicating with external stakeholders, such as investors, and is often the first point of contact for queries. However if the company has more than one director, one of the directors can also act as company secretary.