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Don’t just outsource your corporate secretarial work to anyone! It is important to outsource to
the right company secretary who is competent from the start to save yourself a lot of
headache and trouble further down the road.

Finding the right company secretary or secretarial firm is not an easy task. Most people would
simply search on Google to find their secretarial firm. However, it is difficult to determine which
secretarial firms are able to deliver the services professionally and within reasonable timelines
based on the information on their websites.

In addition, there are misconceptions about the role and duties of company secretaries. Many
people assume that anyone can easily be qualified for the position and that a Company
Secretary is just a name that appears on official statutory documents in compliance with
government statutory requirements.

In actual fact, a Company Secretary plays a key role in ensuring that the company he or she
serves as Secretary remains compliant with the government’s regulations. A Company
Secretary is also responsible for:

• Filing requirements and the filing of important company documents such as
  incorporation documents, yearly financial statements, shareholder resolutions, board
  resolutions, shareholders’ agreement(s)
• He or she is in charge of updating the company’s statutory registers and ACRA BizFile filing
  records should there be any changes in the particulars of the company such as its
  registered office address, directors, shareholders or any other corporate records which the
  Company Secretary is required to lodge the necessary changes with ACRA, the Companies’
  Registrar

A Company Secretary must have a keen understanding of legal requirements and keep
themselves up to date with the latest changes. They must also be extremely detail oriented.

Below are a couple of basic questions you may ask your potential service providers to ensure
that they are the right corporate secretarial service provider for you:

What qualifications does your Company Secretary possess?

• Been a secretary of a company for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately before his or her
  appointment as secretary of the public company
• Be a qualified person under the Legal Profession Act, Cap. 161
• Be a public accountant registered under the Accountants Act, Cap. 2
• Be a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore
• Be a Member of the Singapore Association of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and
  Administrators
• Be a Member of the Association of International Accountants (Singapore Branch)
• Be a Member of the Institute of Company Accountants, Singapore

Can your Company Secretary perform the following tasks?

• General advice on the company’s secretarial practice
• Maintenance and updating of Minute Books and Statutory Registers
• Preparation of AGM documents and Annual Return Filing with ACRA (with no additional
  charges except ACRA filing fee of $60)
• Drafting of resolutions, meeting documents, corporate documents and ACRA filing of changes
  in directors, share capital, shareholders and shares.
• Drafting of customised company’s Constitution based on client’s requirements
• Liquidation, de-registration or striking off of companies
• Drafting and preparation of meeting agendas and other pertinent documents at client’s
  instructions

Hence, it is imperative that you engage a competent and competitive company secretary who is
able to give you the right advice and is responsive to your queries at all times.

To hire us as your company secretary, contact us today.