Company secretary
Make sure that your company and its directors follow company law and meet financial regulations.
Also known as: chartered secretary
About the job
What it's like
You would make sure that your company and its directors follow company law and meet financial regulations.
You’d be the company’s named representative on legal documents. You’d need to keep up to date with company law and work closely with lawyers and auditors.
You’d explain the financial and legal responsibilities to senior staff in the company.
You would:
Keep records up to date, such as lists of directors and shareholders
Send company information to official bodies, like Companies House or the Stock Exchange
Organise and take minutes of annual general meetings and board meetings
Prepare annual reports
Manage share option schemes and pay out dividends
Advise directors and board members about their legal responsibilities
Depending on the size of company you might also be responsible for the work of accounting and finance such as payroll, budget and internal audits.
You might also oversee health and safety requirements and manage the property used by the company.
Hours
In a full-time job you would typically work standard office hours Monday to Friday. Part-time work is also possible. You may sometimes work extra hours to meet deadlines, or attend evening meetings.
Environment
You would be mainly office-based, but may travel to some meetings.
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Financial and professional services
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- corporate governance
- secretarial experience
- regulatory filings
- share capital
- investment trust
- shareholder communications
- dividend reinvestment plan
- limited liability
- company administration
- drafting documents
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- negotiating
- motivating others
- time management
- managing resources
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- working with numbers
- problem solving
- written communication
- verbal communication
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Administration and Information Technology
Business
Business Management
Foundation Apprenticeship: Business Skills
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
Many entrants to this role have a degree or professional qualification in business, law, accountancy or public administration (SCQF level 9/10/11).
To be a company secretary in a public limited company, you must, by law, be a qualified advocate, solicitor or accountant, or a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA).
To be a company secretary in a private limited company you do not require formal qualifications but most applicants to this role have at least a relevant higher level certificate, diploma or a degree (SCQF level 8-11) together with several years’ relevant work experience.
To become a company secretary you must complete the Chartered Secretaries Qualifying Scheme (CSQS).
This is divided into two levels. Your entry point into the CSQS will depend on your previous qualifications. There are entry points for those with no qualifications as well as for those with a wide variety of certificates, diplomas, degrees and professional qualifications.
You will also need relevant business experience.
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