Mastering the Boardroom: Essential Tips & Tactics for UK Company Secretaries

Introduction

The company secretary plays a pivotal role in the boardroom, acting as a key advisor to the board, ensuring compliance with corporate governance requirements, and facilitating effective decision-making.

With increasing regulatory scrutiny and heightened expectations for corporate governance, company secretaries must navigate complex boardroom dynamics, ensure legal compliance, and enhance board effectiveness.

This session provides practical strategies, legal insights, and governance best practices to help company secretaries excel in board meetings, manage stakeholder expectations, and influence strategic discussions.

What You Will Learn

This live and interactive course will cover the following:

• The Role of the Company Secretary in the Boardroom
• Core responsibilities & legal duties under the Companies Act 2006
• The company secretary as a trusted advisor to the board
• Balancing governance, compliance, and commercial priorities
• Board Meeting Best Practices
• Agenda setting & strategic board packs - preparing for effective decision-making
• Managing board dynamics & director engagement
• Ensuring compliance with UK Corporate Governance Code & Listing Rules
• Drafting accurate and legally sound minutes
• Influencing the Board & Managing Stakeholders
• Tactics for effective communication & influencing boardroom discussions
• Managing relationships with the Chair, CEO, and Non-Executive Directors (NEDs)
• Addressing conflicts of interest & corporate transparency obligations
• Governance Challenges & Risk Management
• Handling sensitive boardroom issues & confidential matters
• Ensuring compliance with Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and disclosure obligations
• Managing board evaluations & director performance reviews

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.