Assistant Company Secretary at Old Mutual South Africa

Job Description

This Cape Town based role delivers secretarial services as per legislative requirements. The Company Secretary provides advice and support to Boards on governance matters and ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

Key Result Areas

• Responsible for providing efficient and effective Company Secretarial services to the Board/Trustees and if so required, Committees as assigned.
• Implement departmental agreed advice/guidance to directors both collectively and individually on their statutory and fiduciary duties, responsibilities and powers.
• Responsible for administration relating to Board meetings, filing of documents and preparing Board Charters and Terms of Reference.
• Implement in line with departmental agreed interpretation of the Companies Act and best practice corporate governance (including adherence to regulatory governance requirements) to all directors and members of management, aligned to Group Governance Framework (GGF) implementation and annual assessment.
• Ensures compliance with the Companies Act and any other applicable legislation in assigned entities and trusts.
• Implement in line with departmental agreed interpretation of Company Secretarial processes through Agendas, Board composition, number of meetings held to address compliance matters, aligned to GGF implementation and annual assessment.
• Organizes and administers the smooth running of meetings, producing accurate minutes and resolutions.
• Provides general support - maintenance of databases of information on directors and subsidiary companies, signing powers, etc.
• Delivers secretarial services as per legislative requirements.
• Manages remuneration of directors (if required).
• Sets up new subsidiary companies and trusts.

Legal & Regulatory Services

• Advises the Board with interpretation, advice and application of legal and regulatory requirements across assigned entities and trusts.
• Assists the Board with the interaction/ communication with regulatory bodies, with respect to matters affecting the Board, such as governance requirements.
• Ensure that all group secretariat compliance matters are managed, addressed and presented and tabled at subsidiary Board’s in accordance with the compliance calendar applicable to subsidiaries.
• Provides legal transactional governance advice to assigned entities and trusts.

Corporate Governance advice & monitoring

• Ensures that the Board implements best practice corporate governance requirements in line with the Group Governance Framework (GGF), when making decisions.
• Implementation of the GGF, to ensure efficiencies and drive down the overall cost of Corporate Governance.
• Provide input into all corporate governance initiatives, to ensure alignment with the Group.
• Accountable for GGF assessment/attestation, application and reporting across assigned entities and trusts.
• Provides oversight and monitoring of corporate governance and escalates Group wide issues.
• Assists in driving governance initiatives to underpin the vision of Old Mutual being a responsible business.
• Administers the Group’s subsidiary companies' statutory records, registers and the lodgment of necessary returns in compliance with statutory requirements.
• Keeps Company registers up to date.

Stakeholder relations

• Facilitates communication with stakeholders and acts as point of consultation between external defined stakeholders and the organization, pertaining to relevant matters.
• Building professional relationships with key stakeholders within the business.
• Responsible for AGM administration across assigned entities and trusts.

Requirements, Skills, Qualifications and Experience required:

• LLB Degree.
• Chartered Governance Institute Qualification will be advantageous.
• At least 5 to 7 years’ experience in a corporate secretarial environment, with Financial Services related experience being an advantage.
• Strong knowledge of statutory and regulatory requirements as per legislature.

Board and board committee, executive /management committee administration experience required.

Competencies

• Collaboration (Relating).
• Customer First.
• Execution.
• Innovation (Perspective).
• Leading with Influence.
• Personal Mastery (Learning).
• Strategic.
• Efficiency.
• Organised.