{"id":703,"date":"2021-02-20T12:40:56","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T12:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/engagement-and-impact\/?p=703"},"modified":"2025-03-28T13:33:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T13:33:07","slug":"secretarial-superpowers-the-key-to-business-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/engagement-and-impact\/secretarial-superpowers-the-key-to-business-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Secretarial superpowers: the key to business success"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]The role of company secretary is often undervalued and misunderstood. But this has begun to change in recent years, thanks to research at the Henley Business School, University of Reading, that demonstrates the importance of an effective company secretary to the success of an organisation as a whole.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Company Secretary\u2019 is an executive position that usually reports directly to the Chair and is the key point of contact for other board members. Far from being merely an administrator, the company secretary acts as a crucial cog in the finely tuned machine of a company board.<\/p>\n

The role carries with it an element of strategic stewardship, enabling the post-holder to shape board outcomes positively, and therefore enhance organisational performance.<\/p>\n

The importance of the role, and the unique skill set it requires, was recently highlighted by a research team led by Professor of Governance and Leadership at Henley Business School, Andrew Kakabadse<\/strong>. Using a mixture of large-scale surveys and interviews with the boards of companies in over 40 countries, the team identified the unique value the role can bring to a business, as well as the skills and attributes of successful company secretaries.<\/p>\n

The research demonstrated that company secretaries have an important strategic leadership role, making a significant contribution to the delivery of organisational objectives. Various \u2018statesperson-like\u2019 qualities were described as being necessary to engage individual board members, facilitate decision-making processes and handle times of change or crisis.<\/p>\n

Evidence from the research has been used to inform the training offer of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), while also underpinning a new core competency framework used by the ICSA across its global network of 36,000 members. As a result, the role of the company secretary has become better recognised and acknowledged as a crucial governance position in businesses of all types \u2013 from major multinationals to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).<\/p>\n

Find out more
\n<\/strong>View the full impact case study on the REF 2021 website: Improving Board Outcomes by Enhancing the Strategic Capability of the Company Secretary<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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