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Leadership / organisationLeadership / organisation
Professional/Chartered Company Secretaries
Company secretaries make sure that businesses follow the law and run properly. They keep track of important decisions, manage meetings, and make sure all the paperwork is done right and filed on time.
No degree needed for many routes
AI impact: medium££££ payDirect entry route
52
AI impact
how much AI is reshaping it
Robin · your guide
Curious about being a professional/chartered company secretaries? Here's the honest picture - what you'd really do, what you'd earn, and every way in. No need to decide anything yet.
What you'd actually do
As a company secretary, you are the person who keeps a business running smoothly and legally. You organise meetings where the company's leaders make big decisions, take notes of what they said, and file all the paperwork with the government. You are like the office manager for a company's most important decisions.
Your day involves planning meetings, writing up what was decided, and checking that the company is following all the rules. You make sure forms and reports go to Companies House on time, you might advise leaders on what the law says they must do, and you keep all the important company documents safe and organised. If something goes wrong with the paperwork, it is your job to spot it early and put it right.
1Drafting and maintaining corporate documents such as minutes, resolutions, and statutory registers.
2Advising the board of directors on corporate governance best practices and compliance with legal obligations.
3Managing the logistics of board meetings, including scheduling, preparing agendas, and distributing materials.
4Overseeing the filing of statutory documents with Companies House and ensuring deadlines are met.
5Conducting training sessions for board members on their legal responsibilities and corporate governance.
6Liaising with external regulators, auditors, and legal advisors to ensure compliance.
7Monitoring changes in legislation and regulations that affect the company and advising on necessary actions.
8Maintaining the company’s registered office and ensuring proper communication channels with shareholders.
Career progression & pay
01
Getting in
Junior Company Secretary
£35,000 - £42,000
A degree in law, business, or a related field; completion of the ICSA Certificate in Company Secretarial Practice.
In this entry-level role, you will assist senior company secretaries with administrative tasks, including document preparation and compliance monitoring. This position is ideal for gaining hands-on experience in corporate governance.
02
Building up
Mid-Level Company Secretary
£55,000 - £70,000
ICSA Diploma in Corporate Governance; several years of experience in a company secretarial role.
As a mid-level company secretary, you will take on more responsibility, advising the board on governance matters and managing compliance processes. This role requires strong organisational skills and the ability to work independently.
03
At the top
Senior Company Secretary
£100,000+
Fellowship of the ICSA; extensive experience in corporate governance and leadership roles.
In this senior position, you will lead the company secretarial function, providing strategic advice to the board and overseeing compliance across the organisation. This role demands exceptional leadership and communication skills.
Degrees that lead here via Business and Management
Apprenticeships that lead here
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Who hires - top UK employers
Deloitte
A leading global provider of audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services.
PwC
One of the largest professional services networks in the world, offering a wide range of services.
KPMG
A global network of professional services firms providing audit, tax, and advisory services.
EY
A global leader in assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services.
Linklaters
A leading global law firm, providing legal services to clients across various sectors.
AI & the future of this job
Company secretaries occupy an interesting middle ground: a significant portion of their drafting, filing, and document management work is already being automated by platforms like Diligent and Nasdaq Boardvantage, and AI tools are accelerating that further. However, the role's core value sits in advisory judgement, board relationships, and navigating regulatory nuance, areas where human accountability and trust remain essential. The chartered designation carries legal weight and reputational authority that AI cannot hold. This is a profession undergoing genuine structural change rather than facing extinction.
Within 5 Years
Workflow Automation Accelerating
AI tools will handle routine minutes drafting, statutory filing reminders, and Companies House submissions with minimal human input by 2031. Junior and administrator-level positions within governance teams will shrink noticeably, as one chartered secretary can oversee work that previously required a team. Chartered professionals who retain their roles will spend less time on document production and more time advising boards directly. The entry pathway into the profession will narrow and become more competitive.
Within 10 Years
Role Significantly Redefined
By 2036, the company secretary role will have consolidated around board advisory, governance strategy, and regulatory interpretation, with AI handling nearly all administrative compliance functions autonomously. Firms will employ fewer governance professionals but at more senior levels with broader remits covering ESG reporting, stakeholder engagement, and cross-jurisdictional compliance. Those who have built genuine relationships with boards and regulators will be highly valued; those who have not evolved beyond process management will find the market hostile. The ICSA qualification will remain relevant but will need to be supplemented with demonstrated advisory expertise.
Within 20 Years
Specialist Advisory Core Remains
In 2046, automated governance platforms will handle virtually all procedural compliance, statutory filings, and documentation without human involvement in routine cases. A smaller, senior cohort of chartered governance professionals will function as strategic advisors on complex regulatory matters, board disputes, acquisitions, and crisis governance. The profession will likely resemble what a barrister does relative to a solicitor today: high-expertise, lower volume, high-stakes. The title and charter will still carry meaning, but the route to the role and the daily reality of it will look fundamentally different from the profession as it exists now.
How to stay ahead
Build Deep Board-Level Relationships Early
The parts of this role AI cannot replicate are human trust, political sensitivity, and the ability to advise a chair under pressure. Seek exposure to actual board environments as early as possible through internships, governance roles in student unions, or voluntary sector trusteeships. The faster you accumulate genuine boardroom experience, the more defensible your position becomes.
Get Ahead of ESG and Sustainability Governance
UK and EU sustainability reporting requirements are expanding rapidly, and boards desperately need people who understand both the regulatory framework and the practical governance implications. Adding formal knowledge in ESG reporting standards such as ISSB and TCFD to your chartered governance training makes you significantly more valuable in the near term. This is one of the clearest growth areas within the profession right now.
Develop Cross-Jurisdictional and Listed Company Expertise
Governance complexity scales with company size and international presence, and that complexity is where human expertise remains essential. Focusing your career development on listed company rules, the UK Corporate Governance Code, and cross-border compliance positions you in territory AI tools handle poorly. Employers in this space pay significantly above market rates for genuine regulatory depth.
Learn to Work With, Not Against, Governance Technology
Chartered secretaries who understand how platforms like Diligent, Convene, or BoardEffect work, and can advise boards on implementing them effectively, are far more valuable than those who treat technology as a threat. Treat AI drafting and compliance tools as something you configure and oversee rather than compete with. Being the person who bridges governance expertise and technology adoption is a genuinely strong career position for the next decade.
How to get in - your routes
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