A company secretary does much more than take notes during board meetings. They are responsible for organising the meeting, keeping records of the events and so much more. They will need to be in contact with all board members to ensure the meeting is successful and the agenda is discussed.
A company would be incomplete without an efficient company secretary. They have a long list of duties to complete. They not only organise and maintain the company’s documents but also need to be aware of everything related to the company. In this manner, they can advise the heads of the companies if needed. In addition, they need to be knowledgeable about the financial and legal status of the company.
How Does a Company Secretary Prepare for a Board Meeting?
Before the secretary can perform all their duties in a board meeting, they will need to organise it. This responsibility also falls into their hands. They will need to set a date and time for the meeting before they notify the board members. After notifying the board members, they will need to send the previous meetings’ notes to all members.
Once the people have been notified, the secretary will have to prepare the venue and materials. First, they need to make sure the needed reports and documents are available for all members. Other materials will include new reports, documents, files, etc. The venue will also need to be confirmed again so there is no confusion on the day of the meeting.
A few weeks before the meeting, the company secretary will need to notify or send a reminder to the board members about the meeting. They can also ask the members to review the meeting notes of the previous meeting. The board members can also make any changes to the agenda of the upcoming meeting. The plan can keep changing as the weeks before the meeting pass. The company secretary will not need to finalise the agenda until the day of the meeting.
What Duties Does a Company Secretary Complete During a Board Meeting?
After the meeting has been finalised, the company secretary will move on to completing their next duties during the meeting.
- Be early: The company secretary must be among the first employees to arrive. They need to be early to ensure everything is set up well. Being early will help them check everything and review the agenda. They can also go over the entire meeting process with other employees helping to organise the meeting. The meeting can be a success if the whole discussion goes on smoothly with no disruptions.
They can also test all the equipment used during the meeting. A company secretary can also meet with board members before a meeting to ask if there are any changes they would like to make to the agenda or set up of the venue. After going over everything, the company secretary will also need to meet all employees to ensure that all documents are readily available in case of a sudden need during the meeting itself.
- Assist the chairperson: The chairperson will conduct and control the meeting and its direction. Directing the meeting is a simple task where they can follow the schedule prepared by the company secretary. They can also advise the chairperson on any matters regarding the meeting.
For this duty, they will need to communicate well with people. For example, the company secretary must be able to communicate their point efficiently so it will not disrupt the meeting flow. They will also need to fully concentrate on the meeting to stay aware of what is being discussed.
- Taking notes: Taking meeting notes is the most important duty of a company secretary. A company secretary must be alert, polite, and mentally quick at a board meeting. They can take notes only if they concentrate. They should not miss any points even if they are discussing or informing the board or a board member of anything.
A secretary company is often associated with taking meeting notes. Their experience often allows them to retain information even if they cannot write it down. Remembering and mentioning details is very important for them. The company secretaries will send meeting notes to all board members so they cannot miss the smallest detail. However, this does not mean they need to write every single word. Their notes need to include all the main points of discussions, the decisions made, the actions taken or to be taken, the possible agenda for the next meeting, etc.
Once the meeting has ended, the board members will leave, but the company secretary, the meeting chairperson and other employees often stay behind to work on other responsibilities
How Does a Company Secretary Wrap Up a Board Meeting?
A company secretary must take care of a few duties immediately after a board meeting. The first thing they need to do is to meet with the chairperson of the meeting and discuss the meeting notes, create a draft and get their signature on the draft. The company secretary will not send the draft to the board members. The draft only ensures that the company employees and board members do not miss any details.
The next duty of the secretary is to ensure that all reports, files and documents used in the meeting are organised well. These will be stored with all previous documents for future reference. The meeting notes can be edited before the next meeting to be sent to the members. The company secretary can also take the help of other employees present during the meeting to review the meeting notes. Having a review session immediately after a meeting is beneficial. Everyone will still remember the details of the meeting.
If any board member needs any action, the company secretary can remind the members of it. The reminder is not necessary, but most company secretaries follow up with all board members to make it easier in the following meetings.
Conclusion
A company secretary’s duties are important for the company to function well. If the details are not taken care of, board meetings would be difficult to organise. Several other duties need to be performed by a company secretary, but to successfully conduct a board meeting, they should not miss any detail. Of course, being human means it cannot be perfect, but having a team to help will help make it a successful meeting.
There are many more interesting duties that a company will have to perform. If you would like to know more, browse Vakilsearch. They have a lot of information and several articles on company secretaries. You can browse their website for any topic in which you may be interested. Vakilsearch will make it an easy process for you.
