Skill Sets for a Company Secretary

A Company Secretary is primarily responsible for looking after company laws and compliance of filing necessary returns. He has to interact and be a point of contact for personnel, thereby making his task a difficult one, which requires him to stay vigilant at every point of time.

Section 203 of Companies Act, 2013; defines Company Secretary’, as one of the ‘Key Managerial Personnel’; and lays down the circumstances under which mandatory appointment of a Company Secretary is necessitated. He is the backbone in matters of legal compliance and corporate governance.

Following attributes are much needed and suitable for the role of a Company Secretary.

Expertise for Company law
A Company Secretary (CS) needs to possess expertise in company law. As an in-house legal expert; he has to ensure that corporate governance is also looked after.

Communication Skills
A CS has to continuously update himself with latest changes and interact with board of directors to take decisions regarding board meetings, corporate governance, etc. Hence, it is necessary that he should possess effective written as well as oral communication skills that can be useful for

Compliance
As a company secretary, you’re bound to ensure that the Board of Directors follow rules and regulations as per Companies Act and ensure other regulatory compliance, which require him to be constantly on the radar for managing all activities.

Time Management & Multi-Tasking
Timely compliance is extremely necessary for company law matters to avoid penalties. A CS has to be vigilant about compliance issues, for which it is quite necessary for him to multi-task and have

Attention to Detail
You need to give attention to detail, and be able to track minutest of details to ensure timely compliance, ensure proper flow of information, track irregularities, taking into account grievances of shareholders, negotiate with stakeholders, etc.

Meticulous Planning
Sound and meticulous planning is quite necessary in case a company secretary needs to ensure that all the departments are abiding by law and complying with terms and conditions.