Governance Foundations 1

Whether you are just embarking on your career in a Secretariat team or have been tasked with taking over the Secretariat function of your business, this course is for you.

In Governance Basics I, we walk you through the day to day functions of a CoSec and what is needed to carry out the duties effectively. We know from our experience that there is a difference between what you learnt in University and what is being asked from you in your real world job.

Here, we aim to close that gap, allowing you to execute efficiently, and importantly with confidence. This course is CPD accredited, allowing you to invest in your long-term career development, whilst ensuring your efforts are acknowledged and aligned with industry standards.

This course gives you 12hrs of CPD points

Day 1

Corporate Governance and the Company Secretary

Section - 1

What is my role as a Company Secretary?

The main duties of the Company Secretary
What qualifications might I need?
What is the typical structure of a CoSec team, what might my team structure look like?

Section - 2

Basic Corporate Governance

What is it?
What are the different codes?
Why should I consider a governance code in the context of my organisation?

Section - 3

Governance Frameworks

Where to start with your framework
Framework analysis
Practical steps for improvement
Benefits of a great governance framework

Section - 4

Statutory Compliance

What is Companies House? What do I need to know?
Practical statutory Compliance – how do I know which form to use and what should I do with it?
Annual compliance calendars
Group structure charts
Statutory registers and record keeping

Section - 5

Directors

Appointment, termination, and detail changes
What are my directors responsible and accountable for: directors’ duties
What is the role of a non-executive director?

Section - 6

Board Effectiveness

Boardroom Behaviours
Board evaluation and performance reviews
Director induction programmes

Day 2

The day-to-day role of the Company Secretary

Section - 1

Meeting management

Types of meeting
General meetings
Key roles in the boardroom
How do I develop a forward-looking agenda?
What should go in my agenda?
Timelines
Board portals
How do I manage and support the management of Conflicts of interest?

Section - 2

Board Reporting

What does a good board reporting look like?
How can I help influence and enhance the quality of board reporting?

Section - 3

Minutes masterclass

What are minutes and why are they important?
How do I manage and track actions?
How do I write a good set of minutes?

Section - 4

A shares masterclass

What are shares and what are the different types of shares?
Who are my shareholders?
How do I make a change to a shareholder in my company: the processes for issuing and transferring shares?
How do I draft a share certificate?
What is stamp duty and what do I do?

Section - 5

Corporate Reporting

What is an annual report?
What will I need to draft within the annual report?
What is a section 172 statement, and how does that apply to me?

Additional Areas

Trainer

Victoria Garvin

FCG Governance Director

This course is presented to you by Victoria Garvin FCG. Victoria is a dynamic and versatile Governance Professional with over 20 years’ experience in Secretariat teams, primarily within the highly regulated financial services sector. She has previously held directorship roles and currently sits on the Board of a Multi-Academy Trust as a non-executive director and is a member of its Renumeration Committee and Education Standards Committee.