Top 5 Considerations When Selecting a Corporate Secretary

The corporate secretary Singapore personnel plays one of the most important roles in keeping a business going and profitable, owing to how their work affects every moving aspect of the organization as a whole. They are responsible for ensuring that the company incorporation Singapore process remains in accordance with regulatory and legislative requirements, as well as carrying out all recommendations, reforms, and resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors. They are essentially the glue that keeps the company together.

Regional laws often mandate that any company incorporation Singapore process must appoint a corporate secretary. Corporate-specific laws also provide for the outlining of the corporate secretary’s powers and duties to be decided by the demands and needs of the company. Although companies have some say in customizing their corporate secretary’s job description, industry rules still govern the overall duties of a corporate secretary Singapore professional.

Corporate secretary Singapore experts, in general, are corporate officers. They are responsible for ensuring that all Board members receive the required advice and services to carry out their fiduciary duties to company shareholders in compliance with regional or contractual laws and obligations. Corporate secretaries are expected to attend all Board of Director meetings, taking minutes of the proceedings, and adequately documenting all proceedings.

Recognize the scope of the position

A corporate secretary Singapore expert’s work can be divided into three groups, ranging from record-keeping to serving as an executive assistant and communications officer.

In control of the administration

The company secretary is the primary point of contact for ACRA about the company’s specifics. They are in charge of writing the minutes of the company’s AGMs and EGMs, maintaining company registers, and filing essential company papers with IRAS, ACRA, and other related authorities.

Note of caution

A company secretary acts as an advisor to the directors and offers any practical guidance that is needed, including timely information on all legal and regulatory procedures shared with all directors.

Fiduciary duty

A corporate secretary Singapore professional meets with shareholders on a regular basis and looks out for their best interests; they distribute timely financial statements so that shareholders are prepared to participate in decision-making at the company’s AGM.

Let us give you the top considerations when selecting a corporate secretary:

Don’t make the mistake of believing you can do it yourself

If you are based in another country or are the sole director of your corporation, you cannot work as a corporate secretary. Even if your company has more than one manager, doing secretary work by yourself is not always a simple administrative task. While you might be able to perform basic daily secretarial tasks, if you are unfamiliar with the long list of non-regular secretarial duties, you may waste a lot of time and energy performing these duties that are not part of your core role of growing company incorporation Singapore process.

There are also a variety of common pitfalls that inexperienced company secretaries may fall into, such as not carefully selecting the year-end date to optimize tax advantages, or failing to execute the appropriate resolutions with directors or shareholders before filing online. These errors may have long-term effects, including making the behaviour null and void.

Examine their track record of dealing with start-ups

If you are a start-up, you should make sure that your company secretary is familiar with the problems that commonly occur in the start-up world, since the company incorporation Singapore professional would be responsible for processing and correctly executing all of the resulting paperwork. Start-ups in Southeast Asia often develop quickly and go through many rounds of funding in their early years. This means you can be dealing with many investors and various types of stock. You may also consider an employee stock option contract (ESOP).

Choose someone who moves at your pace

Many businesses do use paper and physical signatures to carry out company resolutions, which can result in more running around to set up meetings, courier costs, and processing delays. Check to see if the business is a part of the 21st century and uses technology to minimize costs and speed things up, such as digital signatures, which are legally recognized in Singapore.

They are well-versed in all local rules and regulations

It is particularly critical to choose a reputable corporate secretary that is familiar with all local rules and regulations, including any extensions or changes. Company incorporation Singapore professional must be able to manage the organization of AGMs, tax filing, and the preservation and filing of company records within the timeframes specified by the authorities. Furthermore, a great company secretary should ensure that your business is well organized, allowing you to save money in the long run.

Since international law is vastly complicated, with rules regarding taxation, trade, currency exchange, and contracts varying from region to region, it is critical that you pose this question when considering not only the business but also the services you need from your corporate secretary.

They offer an extensive range of solutions

If your company expands, it could be advantageous to outsource non-core functions to a single vendor, freeing up your time and money to concentrate on core functions and strategic opportunities. Financial accounting, which includes recording and compiling the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows; tax reporting; and company payroll, which includes processing payment instructions, producing wages and statutory reports, filing bank payments, and making electronic payslips, are examples of non-core functions.

In need of corporate secretarial services in Singapore?

WLP Group is a leading business services company in Singapore. We are experts in assisting businesses, ranging from multinational corporations to fast-growing SMEs, in focusing on what matters most – growing their business. From tax accounting to secretarial duties for businesses across Asia-Pacific, our full suite of corporate services helps our clients remain compliant, maximize savings, and stay organized for better decision making. Visit our website for more information.