Board Secretary: Duties and Priorities

A key but often under-appreciated role in corporate governance is that of the Board Secretary. The Secretary can help ensure the smooth and effective functioning of the Board and its Committees; timely information flows between the Executive and Board, and vice versa; the development, management and review of governance policies and procedures; and act as a sounding board and advisor to the Chairperson, Board and Senior Management Team on governance matters.

The reality of the importance of the role has been recognised in recent coverage in the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (2016) (sections 1.21-1.23), the Governance Code for Non-Profits (section 2.1b) and the Companies Act, 2014 (section 129).  Boards are required to ensure that the person appointed has the requisite skills and expertise to carry out the role, and the state body code specifically outlines some of the functions of the Secretary.

This workshop, delivered in conjunction with the ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute, is designed for those who have been newly or recently appointed to the position of Board Secretary in the public and not-for-profit sectors, and those who feel they would benefit from further or formal training.  The workshop will examine the role and responsibilities of the Secretary, both as prescribed, and in practice.  It will also look at good practices which a Secretary can introduce and foster to support good governance within their organisation.

This course has been modified for online delivery and is now a four-hour online course that will be divided into two x two-hour sessions (10:00am-12:00noon & 1:00pm-3:00pm) with a one-hour break. It will be remotely delivered through MS Teams and facilitated by subject matter experts.

Scheduled Date:

• 5 October 2021