A profession that blends law and governance

A profession that blends law and governance

Company secretaries are the torch bearers of corporate governance and compliance in any organisation, reports Shivangi Mishra

24.08.2020

TOI Education Times 

With a new training structure, entrance-based enrolment, expanding global footprint, the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) is all set to realign the sector with the changing requirements of Industry 4.0 and attract the best brains to the discipline. “These changes that go into effect from this academic year are aimed at equipping students with requisite technical knowledge and soft skills to meet the expectations of the industry, regulators and other stakeholders,” says Ashish Garg, president, ICSI, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Who is a CS

Giving an insight into what the job role of a company secretary is, Garg says, that they are the torch bearers of corporate governance and compliance. Their role is beyond corporate law and holds a distinct position from chartered accountant’s profession. “CS functions in a multidisciplinary role with the gamut of responsibilities including areas of corporate law, securities and capital market laws, auditing (financial, secretarial, forensic), FEMA laws, GST and various other economic, business commercial laws,” says Garg.

Job roles to fill

Along with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, various regulators like Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), Central Depository Services (CDSL) and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) are recognising company secretaries for the roles being played by them as key managerial personnel, secretarial auditor, compliance officer, insolvency professional and registered valuer. These professionals have also been authorised to represent before Registrar of Companies (RoCs), National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), Competition Commission of India and Competition Appellate Tribunal, Securities Appellate Tribunal, Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal and various other authorities and other quasi-judicial bodies and tribunals.

“The opportunities are expanding with every passing year. Recently, Company Secretaries have been included in the list of qualification and experience of Arbitrators in the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019. Various other representations have been submitted with the authorities concerned to accord recognitions to Company Secretaries for undertaking activities under those laws,” says Garg.

Entrance exam

To bring the course at par with best modern practices, the institute has undergone a major revamp including introduction of Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test (CSEET). Earlier, the enrolment to the CS course was without any assessment. “Computer-based CSEET has been introduced as the qualifying test for registration to executive programmes keeping in view the diverse academic standards of students seeking admission to the course. It will help filter the quality of enrolments and attract meritorious students,” says Garg. Students from all backgrounds, except Fine Arts, can enrol to CS.

Full report at www.educationtimes.com

www.facebook.com/educationtimes.toitwitter.com/educationtimes

MONDAY | AUGUST 24, 2020 GET UNTANGLED ADVERTORIAL, EDUCATION PROMOTIONAL FEATURE