Here are sample job postings for Corporate Secretary roles:
Deputy Corporate Secretary
Global Company Secretaries mission statement: By developing our people, processes and systems, we deliver a world class corporate governance practice globally to support the delivery of Group strategy and to exceed the expectations of our stakeholders.
The Corporate Governance and Secretariat function (“CG&S”) serves as principal advisor to boards of directors on corporate governance matters, and leads and implements a world-class corporate governance practice throughout the Group.
The role works closely with the most senior decision makers in the HNAH organization and has responsibility for proactive, direct and close liaison with the non-executive Chair, the President and CEO, Non-Executive Directors (“NEDs”) and senior executive stakeholders, including in the Finance, Risk, Compliance, Legal and HR Functions.
The individual will:
- Deputize for the US Corporate Secretary on all company secretarial/corporate governance matters for HSBC North America Holdings Inc. (“HNAH”) and its subsidiaries (collectively herein “Company”).
- Support the US Corporate Secretary with providing first class company secretarial/ corporate governance advice, guidance and support to the HNAH Board of Directors, NEDs, Board Committees, senior management and departments.
- Support the US Corporate Secretary with leadership and management of US CG&S.
- Lead the US CG&S members responsible for regulatory and statutory obligations of HNAH, including those arising from the listing of debt of its subsidiaries on stock exchanges.
- Contribute to the development, formulation, communication and consistency of strategic and operational objectives of US CG&S.
- Have outstanding communication skills, continuously drive pace, quality and agile ways of working.
The individual supports the US Corporate Secretary by overseeing all aspects of governance and related support within the HNAH organization, including:
- Planning, scheduling, review of relevant materials submitted to board/committees and all associated governance.
- Oversight of all Board Committees and primary support for HNAH Board meetings.
- Day to day support for NEDs, including onboarding, induction and ongoing training needs.
- Set expectations and standards for the team in relation to the delivery of a world class, effective and efficient company secretarial service including liaising with the relevant Chair to ensure a clear focus on the strategic agenda, effective meeting management, timely production of minutes and tracking of actions.
- Assistance with global governance initiatives and projects.
- Assistance in organizing the agenda, logistics and content for director off sites and other events in liaison with relevant members of HNAH management, as applicable, and the Board Relations and Engagement Events team.
- Record keeping and responding to regulatory and other information requests, second line reviews and internal audits.
- Tracking, influencing and acting upon changes in legislation, regulation, guidance and best practices relevant to the responsibilities of the team and the team’s support of the HNAH Board and organization.
- Leadership and development of the US CG&S team.
Impact on the Business
- Deputize for the US Corporate Secretary.
- Support the US Corporate Secretary with providing advice, guidance and support to the HNAH Board of Directors, subsidiary companies, and senior management on corporate governance and statutory, regulatory and governmental requirements as well as best practice and standards.
- Smooth delivery of the core meeting cycle.
- Respected as a highly professional and trusted advisor to the HNAH Board, relevant committees and senior management
- Strong relationships with key stakeholders.
- High quality company records.
- Monitor and assess developments to regulatory and statutory obligations of HNAH and its subsidiaries, including regulatory Heightened Standards and continuing obligations arising from stock exchange listings.
- Strong and clear communicator, both with members of the team and key stakeholders.
Customers / Stakeholders
- Positive influential relationships with HNAH Board and Committee Chairs, NEDs and advisors.
- Provide high quality company secretarial/ corporate governance advice, guidance and support to the US CG&S function.
- Maintain and develop effective relationships with core internal stakeholders, colleagues in the function and senior executives.
Leadership & Teamwork
- Assist the US Corporate Secretary with leadership and management of the US CG&S function.
- Maintain and develop positive and professional working relationships with senior management and business managers.
- Contribute to an environment for the delivery of consistent performance measurement, training, career management and succession planning across the department.
- Contribute to the strategy for the coordination and promotion of initiatives that result in the sharing of company secretarial/ corporate governance knowledge and best practices across the US team.
- Active role in the leadership of the US CG&S function.
- Maintain and develop positive and professional working relationships with senior business managers.
- Robust performance management.
- Team succession planning.
- Development of team members’ professional and personal skills and capabilities.
- Promote staff engagement.
- Collaborative and effective relationships that result in the sharing of company secretarial / governance knowledge and best practices
- Effective cascade of information to the team from other areas of the global function.
Operational Effectiveness & Control
- Support the US Corporate Secretary in monitoring the effectiveness and appropriateness of the corporate governance framework of the Board of Directors, its Committees and among Group companies within the US.
- Support the US Corporate Secretary in monitoring of the resourcing, costs and expenses of the US CG&S function.
- Support the US Corporate Secretary in regularly assessing the operational and cost efficiency of the US CG&S function.
- Support the US Corporate Secretary in re-engineering existing processes to deliver efficiencies within the US CG&S function
- Responsible for the development and implementation of policy and procedures in adherence to Group policies and management of operational risk.
- Leadership over all regulatory and compliance matters and the management of operational risk.
Major Challenges
- HSBC is an extremely diverse business which is constantly expanding both geographically and into new areas of business. Such expansion is in an increasingly regulated and complex global environment with almost no consistency between laws, regulations and best practice in different jurisdictions. There is a constantly evolving environment of corporate governance, statutory, regulatory, governmental and best practice requirements and standards. In this context it is the role of the Deputy Corporate Secretary to support the US Corporate Secretary in establishing an appropriate corporate governance framework for HNAH and its subsidiaries and to provide advice, guidance and support to the HNAH Board of Directors, Board Committees, senior management and departments; and lead the US CG&S members responsible for obligations arising from regulatory and listing requirements.
Role Context
- HSBC Holdings plc is listed on the London, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Bermuda stock exchanges. By market capitalisation, it is one of the largest listed companies in the world. Shares in HGHQ are held by about 200,000 shareholders in over 100 countries and territories.
- The role holder works with considerable autonomy in leading the company secretarial function and when deputizing for the US Corporate Secretary. The diversity of HSBC’s business, its geographic spread and the constant changes internally and externally means the volume, complexity and diversity of matters, including confidential and commercially sensitive matters, which the jobholder is required to manage and advise on is very large and increasing.
- The role requires a detailed knowledge of the HSBC Group and a clear understanding of its culture. It is essential that the jobholder has a very good working relationship with and is trusted by US Directors and senior management but also has respect and cooperation from US CG&S. He/she also needs to have close working relationships with shareholders and regulators.
Management of Risk
- The jobholder is responsible for ensuring that key governance/ listing obligations/ company secretarial matters are clearly identified, brought to the attention of the US Corporate Secretary, and, as appropriate, recommend ed for inclusion in the Company Secretarial Functional Instruction Manual or applicable local procedures.
Observation of Internal Controls
- An “insider” for dealing purposes and subject to strict controls and confidentiality.
- Maintain HSBC internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points, together with any issues raised by external regulators relating to corporate governance or company secretarial matters.
Qualifications
- Qualified attorney licensed to practice law with a minimum of 8 to 10 years of experience in corporate governance and/or corporate law.
- Wide knowledge and experience of corporate governance and corporate law; and of the securities industry including share registration and settlement and obligations arising from stock exchange listings in multiple jurisdictions.
- Strong understanding of legal entity corporate governance obligations.
- Detailed knowledge of the HSBC Group and a clear understanding of its corporate culture is desirable.
- Financial services experience is desirable but not essential.
- Proven leadership, management and communication skills.
- Strong Inter-personal skills including the maintenance and development of relationships with the NEDs.
- Proven ability to develop and maintain strong relationships at a senior leadership level.
- Excellent analysis, design and problem solving skills.
- Ability to deal with and constructively resolve conflicting views and where necessary, escalate to senior management in a clear and succinct manner.
- Ability to understand and consolidate diverse and complex business information and identify / mitigate issues.
- Ability to deal effectively with ambiguity, complex matrix environment and multiple stakeholders.
- Ability to look at the bigger picture as well as have a keen eye for detail.
Corporate Secretary Lawyer
Credit Suisse is a leading global wealth manager with strong investment banking capabilities. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, we have a global reach with operations in about 50 countries and employ more than 45,000 people from over 150 different nations. Embodying entrepreneurial spirit, Credit Suisse delivers holistic financial solutions to our clients, including innovative products and specially tailored advice. Striving for quality and excellence in our work, we recognize and reward extraordinary performance among our employees, provide wide-ranging training and development opportunities, and benefit from a diverse range of perspectives to create value for our clients, shareholders and communities. We are Credit Suisse.
- Assist in all elements of planning and administering to Board and management meetings, including agenda development, drafting resolutions and minutes, meeting with members of senior management to discuss initiatives, making distributions, and all elements of organizing and executing meetings.
- Provide governance advice in connection with various firm initiatives and New Business matters, as well as develop related Board and committee materials.
- Work on, review and own regulatory reports regarding the firm’s structural organization and related matters.
- Liaise with Corporate Secretaries across regions on governance and other matters.
- Work on the development of, and information gathering and confirmation for, firm’s internal legal entity database, EnterpriseD, and related procedures and policies.
- Oversee paralegals with respect to governance, regulatory reporting and other corporate secretarial matters.
- Attend to general corporate secretary and governance matters, such as providing secretary’s certificates, drafting organizational documents, committee charters and related; liaising with regulatory affairs, internal audit and others regarding documentation production, etc.
- Take on other tasks as the group’s role continues to develop.
Credit Suisse maintains a Working Flexibility Policy, subject to the terms as set forth in the Credit Suisse United States Employment Handbook.
You Offer
- JD from an accredited university
- NY Bar admission.
- At least 3+ years of relevant experience.
- Experience practicing corporate and/or banking, financial services industry law a plus.
- Ability to collaborate closely with stakeholders from different disciplines and within a team.
- Ability to work with and present to members of senior management and Board.
- Confident team-player, a creative and strategic thinker with the ability to influence and build trusted relationships.
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize effectively; ability to work under pressure without compromising quality.
Corporate Secretary Associate
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Working at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York positions you at the center of the financial world with a unique perspective on national and international markets and economies. You will work in an environment with a diverse group of experienced professionals to foster and support the safety, soundness, and vitality of our economic and financial systems. It is a challenge that demands the skills of a financial service professional and the intelligence of an academic—all combined with a passion for public service.
What We Do:
The Corporate Secretary’s Office (CSO) promotes a strong corporate governance within the Bank; convenes and advises key decision-making bodies; and gathers, communicates, maintains and shares critical Bank and System information among senior management, Directors and staff, all in support of the Bank’s mission.
Your role as Corporate Secretary Associate:
You will support CSO-managed governance projects, provide analytical and administrative support to the Bank’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee (EC), and its Subcommittees, contribute to Director succession planning, and coordinate disclosures of Bank information and maintain corporate records. You will also assist with other CSO-related responsibilities as needed. You will report directly to the Assistant Corporate Secretary and handle and maintain sensitive and confidential information.
What we are looking for:
- Excellent organizational and time management skills, with ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines. Cross-Bank experience and project management skills are a plus. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and SharePoint.Discretion in handling confidential or sensitive information.Excellent oral, listening and written communication skills.Team player with strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills.High energy, detail oriented, and capable self-starter.Paralegal experience a plus.Bachelor’s degree with 3 or more years of work experience; J.D. or Masters in Library Sciences preferred.