UK Company Secretary (12-18 FTC) - CBS Exec Management - London

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Position Summary: The UK Company Secretary will play a lead role in the design and execution of corporate governance frameworks and company secretarial initiatives across all elements of the UK business and have responsibility for successfully setting and executing the strategy of EY’s corporate governance and Company Secretarial legal requirements for a UK business of more than £3.76bn in revenue and 800 Partners.

Having undertaken a comprehensive governance review in FY 25, the firm requires a highly experienced Company Secretary to work with the Managing Partner, Chair, General Counsel, Independent Non-Executives and other senior stakeholders who can:

• Establish well-developed and rigorous board structures and processes;
• Provide support to all top level governance bodies, ensuring compliance with requirements and guidance on effectiveness and opportunities for enhancements;
• Lead the 6 member company secretarial team to manage regulatory and compliance matters;
• Support leadership in defining an appropriate structure for the Company Secretarial function post implementation and operationalisation of recent governance changes, including identification and appointment of the Firm’s next Company Secretary.

The role would be on a contract basis for a period of 12-18 months.

What you will do:

• Be a trusted advisor to the Chair and Managing Partner.
• Work to implement and embed updated UK Firm governance arrangements, including:

• Implement a framework for the eligibility criteria and process for the selection of LLP Board members, the UK Chair, and Partner Forum members including election procedures.
• Develop the ‘foundations’ for the governance framework to support the Board in performing its role effectively and for the efficient use of board meetings.
• Support the UK Chair in setting and driving delivery of annual Board objectives and in arranging and facilitating the annual effectiveness review of the Board, its sub committees and other governance bodies and the agreement and in the formalisation of recommendations.
• Provide guidance and company secretarial support to the Sub Committees of the Board including the Nomination Committee, Board Risk Committee and Audit Committee.
• Support the Managing Partner in the execution of their duties and responsibilities including in relation to supporting their Management Committee.
• Be the custodian of overall governance processes, discipline, compliance and special projects, as they arise.

Skills and attributes for success:

• Proven track record in building a Governance Framework, whilst cultivating and nurturing robust, trusted business relationships.
• Extensive knowledge and insights into the evolving regulatory landscape of Corporate Governance.
• High degree of personal drive and motivation to succeed.
• Proficient at establishing an effective network within a large organization, strategically increasing visibility and engagement while tailoring consultations and service offerings.
• Excellent, oral and written communication skills with proven ability to explain complex concepts in a crisp, clear, and concise manner.
• Proactive team player/team leadership and influence skills at a senior level.
• Robust programme and project management skills; with the ability to triage based on business needs, risk and frequently changing deadlines.
• In-depth understanding and commitment to the continued development and improvement and best practice in corporate controls.

To qualify for the role you must be:

• Commercially astute / business aware: Will make significant contributions to leadership and have well developed technical skills.
• Possess a high degree of professionalism.
• Will have credibility and business, both governance and regulatory based, insight that can be demonstrated to partners and Independent Non-Executives.

Excellent interpersonal, presentation and selling skills:

• Excellent relationship builder and able to utilise relationships to establish and develop rapport with legal, governance and leadership stakeholders.
• Very perceptive, able to read people and an ability to communicate and present effectively and incisively, adopting a peer to peer approach.
• Strong project leadership and management capabilities.

Ability to quickly understand complex issues across a Governance Framework:

• Ability to analyse and present solutions in many and varied business scenarios.
• Project management skills with a growth mindset.
• Capability to comprehend EY’s eco system across our Service lines and competencies and translate these to solutions which add value and benefit our Corporate Governance frameworks.

Ideally, you’ll also have:

• Minimum of 20 years’ experience as a qualified Governance Professional ideally in a professional services environment.
• Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland (GCI).
• Ability to proactively identify, define and solve complex problems that impact the Governance Frameworks and direction of the wider business.
• Confident in building both internal and external networks to bring insights and help shape a point of view.
• Ability to take ownership for delivering customised / highly complex projects with a high degree of autonomy as well as managing multiple projects simultaneously.

What we offer:

We offer a competitive remuneration package where you’ll be rewarded for your individual and team performance. Our comprehensive Total Rewards package includes support for flexible working and career development, and with MyReward you can select benefits that suit your needs, covering holidays, health and well-being, insurance, savings and a wide range of discounts, offers and promotions.

Kindly note: Prior to finalizing your application, you will be asked to provide personal information across several dimensions of diversity and inclusiveness. The information you provide is kept entirely confidential and will not be used to evaluate your candidacy. We collect this data to help us analyse our recruitment process holistically and implement actions that promote diversity and inclusiveness. While optional, we encourage you to provide this information to hold us accountable towards our goal of building a better working world.

If you can demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible. The exceptional EY experience. It’s yours to build. Apply now.