Our Events

The Role of the Company Secretary

Training Session

27/08/2025

The Role of the Company Secretary

If you are a CEO at a Community & Voluntary Organisation, then this is for you!

Maybe you already know this, but most directors don’t. Your organisation must have a Company Secretary. Most of the time, unless you appoint another person, the responsibilities of this role end up being added to your own responsibilities as a Chief Executive, making you the Company Secretary.

There are specific practices you need to consider as a CS to comply with the Company Act:

Board meetings
General Meetings
Articles of Association
General Compliance
Statutory Registers
Report and Accounts
Member Communications
Acquisitions and Disposals
Corporate Governance
Company Seal
Registered Office
Subsidiary Companies

However, there are detailed best practices for each of them. For example, did you know that it is required to maintain printed and signed records of meetings with the Board for the last 7 years, including those conducted by previous directors?

This is just a small example of everything involved. But don’t worry if this is new to you or if you are unsure about what exactly you need to be looking at. We’ve got you covered.

Attend The Role of the Company Secretary Masterclass where Brenda will share key information so you develop a good understanding of this role and how to successfully fulfil these responsibilities.

We are starting soon and there’re only a few places left.

Who is it for?

CEO

Date: 04/02/2026

Member Price: 149

Non-member Price: 249

This session will be facilitated by…

Brendan Mullan

What Members Say About CO3

We’re delighted to get behind the financial resilience programme who, which will support a range of charity leaders from the small right through to the large, will really help give them the skills to be strong and be there for their communities for as long as they’re needed.

As a chief executive it is a very lonely job at times, particularly in small charities and Northern Ireland has got many small charities. So when you feel that loneliness or isolation, the one thing that CO3 brought was the ability to go and chat to somebody, whether it be a mentor or whether it be just another chief exec to bounce off.

Kate Fleck
Member of the Board, OCN NI

CO3 offer a wide range of courses for middle, middle managers, senior managers and chief executives within the third sector. Some of the programmes include the Leading Edge programme, there’s other leadership programmes available and then they also offer some micro learning sessions around how to present things like finances to your board of directors, reviewing your governance structure within the organisation and they would bring in some expert facilitators to deliver those sessions as well.

Martin Flynn
CEO, OCN NI

We’re delighted to get behind the financial resilience programme who, which will support a range of charity leaders from the small right through to the large, will really help give them the skills to be strong and be there for their communities for as long as they’re needed.

As a chief executive it is a very lonely job at times, particularly in small charities and Northern Ireland has got many small charities. So when you feel that loneliness or isolation, the one thing that Co Three brought was the ability to go and chat to somebody, whether it be a mentor or whether it be just another chief exec to bounce off.

Kate Fleck
Member of the Board, OCN NI

“CO3 is always a great network for support, for encouragement, for advice, answers to tricky questions when you're really, really stuck. Overall, it's been a fantastic network of colleagues who are always there for guidance and encouragement whenever things are really tough.”

Karen Collins
Chief Executive, Aware NI

“It is so valuable having other people who are in a similar position that you can network with, you can share problems with, you can ask advice. And so my whole career, CO3 has been really, really important to me in providing those things.”

Roger Courtney
Founder & Director, Roger Courtney Consulting

“I think for me the CO3 is a safe space just to have a chat, to make connections and also to learn from other people who are in a similar position in their career as you are.”

Lisa Keys
Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Boys’ Brigade