Company Secretarial Services & Corporate Governance Consultancy
Specialist company secretarial services and corporate governance consultancy for listed, FCA-regulated and growing organisations.
Ingen Partners provides practical governance support when an organisation needs additional capacity, specialist experience or help with a defined governance requirement. That may mean interim cover during a vacancy or absence, support with a particular project, or additional company secretarial resource alongside an existing team.
Our focus is on organisations where company secretarial work is closely connected to the board, governance standards, regulatory requirements and the way the business operates.
Company Secretarial Services
Company secretarial requirements vary considerably between organisations. A listed company with an established secretariat may need experienced support during a particularly demanding period, while another organisation may need broader help putting reliable governance processes in place.
Depending on the requirement, our company secretarial services can include:
- board and committee meeting support;
- governance calendars, papers, minutes and action tracking;
- company secretarial project support;
- statutory records and corporate filing support;
- AGM and shareholder meeting support;
- governance and annual reporting support;
- subsidiary and entity governance;
- reviewing existing company secretarial processes;
- additional capacity during transactions, organisational change or particularly busy reporting periods.
We agree the scope around what the organisation actually needs rather than applying a standard package.
Outsourced Company Secretarial Services and Interim Support
Outsourcing does not have to mean handing over the entire company secretarial function.
Some organisations need a defined piece of work completed. Others need experienced cover while a permanent Company Secretary is recruited, during parental or long-term leave, or because an existing governance team has temporarily reached capacity.
Ingen Partners can provide support around these different requirements.
Interim cover
An experienced governance professional can provide continuity when a Company Secretary or senior member of the team is unavailable, helping keep board, committee and governance activity moving while the organisation considers the longer-term solution.
Project support
A specific governance project may require additional experience without justifying another permanent appointment. This can include work arising from organisational change, new governance arrangements, reporting requirements or a review of existing processes.
Additional governance capacity
Existing teams may simply need more capacity during busy periods. Flexible support can be scoped around the work required rather than creating a permanent role unnecessarily.
If the underlying requirement is ultimately a permanent appointment, our Company Secretarial & Governance Recruitment team can support the organisation through that process.
Corporate Governance Services and Consultancy
Sometimes the problem is not a shortage of resource. The governance arrangements themselves need attention.
Corporate governance consultancy can help organisations review how decisions are made, how responsibilities are allocated and whether existing governance processes still suit the size, structure and regulatory environment of the business.
Depending on the organisation, our corporate governance services can include support with:
- governance framework reviews;
- board and committee structures;
- terms of reference and delegated authorities;
- governance policies and procedures;
- decision-making and escalation processes;
- governance roles and responsibilities;
- governance reporting and information flows;
- governance arrangements during organisational change;
- reviewing the capability and structure of an existing governance function;
- implementing improvements identified through governance reviews.
The objective is not to create more governance for its own sake. Good governance should make responsibilities clearer, support effective decision-making and give boards confidence that important matters are being handled at the right level.
Supporting Listed and Regulated Organisations
Listed and regulated businesses often need more than routine company administration.
Board and committee cycles can be demanding, reporting timetables are fixed and governance activity may involve the Chair, committee chairs, General Counsel, finance, investor relations, external advisers and senior executives.
Ingen Partners works particularly closely with:
- UK listed companies;
- FCA-regulated organisations;
- financial services businesses;
- professional services firms;
- complex private groups;
- growing organisations whose governance requirements are becoming more demanding.
The appropriate support depends on the organisation. A newly listed business may need help embedding stronger governance processes, while an established listed company may require experienced additional capacity around an existing team.
Our guide to the Listed Company Secretary role explains some of the additional governance demands found in a listed environment.
When Does External Governance Support Make Sense?
External support can be useful when an organisation needs expertise or capacity without immediately creating another permanent position.
Common situations include:
- an unexpected Company Secretary or governance vacancy;
- organisational or regulatory change;
- an IPO or significant corporate event;
- new or more demanding governance arrangements;
- a defined project requiring specialist experience;
- an existing governance function that needs reviewing or strengthening.
The important question is whether the requirement is for additional resource, specialist advice or a permanent appointment. Establishing that early helps avoid solving the wrong problem.
Company Secretarial Services Fees
The cost of company secretarial services depends on the scope and level of support required.
A short governance project, interim senior Company Secretary assignment and ongoing additional support are very different requirements, so we do not treat them as interchangeable packages.
We agree the work and expected level of involvement before an assignment begins so that the organisation is clear about what support is being provided.
For a specific requirement, we can discuss the scope before providing an appropriate proposal.
Why Ingen Partners?
Ingen Partners is a specialist company secretarial and governance business rather than a general management consultancy.
That specialism is backed by direct experience of outsourced company secretarial services.
John Roundhill FCG previously established and ran Capita Company Secretarial Services, which during his tenure became the UK's largest outsourced provider of company secretarial services to UK and overseas listed companies and public sector organisations.
The wider Ingen team works extensively with Company Secretaries, governance leaders, listed companies and regulated organisations. That gives us a practical understanding of how governance functions operate, the pressures they face and where additional support can make a genuine difference.
It also means we can distinguish between a consultancy problem and a resourcing problem. If an organisation needs temporary expertise, we can support that requirement. If it needs to strengthen the permanent team, we can help recruit it.
How We Work
Understand the requirement
We start with the reason support is needed, the organisation's existing governance structure and what needs to change or be delivered.
Agree the scope
We establish the work involved, the level of experience required, the people involved and whether the requirement is project-based, interim or ongoing.
Work with the existing team
Where an organisation already has legal, governance or company secretarial resource, support is designed to work alongside it rather than duplicate it.
Complete, hand over or continue
Some assignments have a defined end point. Others continue while an organisation recruits permanently or while an ongoing need remains. The arrangement can reflect the requirement rather than forcing the organisation into a fixed model.
