Company Secretary –A career sans boundaries

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) is a premier national professional body set up under an act of Parliament, the Company Secretaries Act, 1980, to develop and regulate the profession of Company Secretaries in India. ICSI functions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. There are more than 62,000 members and around 3 lakh students, presently on the roll of ICSI.

They act as a vital link between the company, its Board of Directors, Shareholders, Government and other Agencies. They are confidante of the Board of Directors and arrange meetings of the Board of Directors and committees, prepare and circulate agendas, take minutes at meetings and advise board members on various matters pertaining to corporate laws and responsible to ensure the effective and efficient administration of the company.

Opportunities as a Company Secretary

The market demand for this career is on the upswing. There is tremendous growth opportunity in this profession along with excellent remuneration. This is a coveted position and rapidly gaining popularity amongst youngsters who want to make it big in the corporate world.

The Companies Act, 2013 Act confers a special status to Company Secretary as the Key Managerial Personnel (KMP) and has bracketed him along with Managing Director (MD) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Manager, Whole-time director(s) or Chief Financial Officer (CFO). It is mandatory for every listed company and every other public company as well as private company having a paid up share capital of 10 crore rupees or more is required to appoint a whole time company secretary under the Companies Act, 2013.

The company secretaries have also been empowered as secretarial auditor under section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013. For the first time in our country, the Company Secretaries are recognized as advisors to the Board on the affairs of the Company and all matters to ensure good Corporate Governance by the Act itself. They are also required to guide the Board on its own role, responsibilities and duties.

Apart from these a Company Secretary also has role under Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) laws, corporate and economic laws, taxation laws, GST, Insolvency Laws, appearing before tribunals like NCLT/NCLAT, Consumer Protection Act, Depositories Act, Competition Act, Labour and Industrial laws, Intellectual Property Laws, advising on risk management, Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability Reporting, etc.

To know more about ICSI and Company Secretary Course, please visit www.icsi.edu