Company Secretarial Assistant

Who are we?

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

To support the Group-level Company Secretariat team comprising the Group Company Secretary, Assistant Group Company Secretary and Assistant Company Secretaries (x2) as follows:

• Provision of a professional company secretarial service to the Group-level committees and senior stakeholders of HGH / Howden Group;
• Support to Secretaries of Group-level boards and committees such as Audit, Remuneration, Risk, Nominations, the Howden Foundation, Humanity Insured (a charity), and the ERICCA risk and compliance committee, including drafting of agendas, minutes and matters arising templates, as required;
• Provision to the Howden Shares team of company secretarial support in HGH shareholder and share capital-related matters, including approval requests relating to the Employee Committee and Share Committee;
• Assistance with the drafting and implementation of policies and procedures to support the Group in achieving Sarbanes-Oxley (‘SOX’) level controls and UK/US plc-level corporate governance (these being the Group’s target medium term maturity level).

Key Responsibilities

• Group-level responsibilities as above, including:

• Day to day management of applicable forums’ Companies Act 2006 or equivalent compliance, including applicable regulatory filings and corporate governance, and the maintenance of statutory registers using the Diligent Entities platform;
• Support a sound understanding of Financial Conduct Authority regulatory requirements within the Company Secretariat, reflected within board and committee papers, minutes and associated processes;

• Prepare written resolutions of Group-level boards and committees, as required;
• Drafting of agendas, minutes and matters arising templates for Group board and committees, as required;
• Circulating ‘Request for Papers’ notifications, liaising with directors and committee members, and uploading and issuing papers on Diligent Boards;
• Review Group board and committee documentation for completeness, accuracy and quality;
• Provide support to the Assistant Company Secretary in respect of Group-level finance structure entities including local filings and maintenance of relationships with local advisers;
• Support to Secretaries to Group-level boards and committees in respect of performance evaluation and effectiveness reviews;
• Support the Assistant Group Company Secretary in respect of Group-level boards and committees’ review of composition, skills matrix and director tenure;
• Assist with Group-level board and committee terms of reference review, taking account of applicable governance requirements (e.g. Wates / UK / US plc considerations);

• Planning of the Group annual board and committee meeting calendar, including production of an annual schedule of meetings;
• Management and provision of information, notarised documents, KYC and powers of attorney in relation to Group-level boards and committees, and M&A or similar activity;
• Support the implementation of consistent company secretarial practices, standards and templates, as appropriate, throughout the Group;
• Produce reports on companies, directors or shareholders from Diligent Entities, upon request;
• Maintain up to date passport information for all UK entity directors;
• Oversight and management of the Company Secretariat annual schedule of activities;
• Management and update of Company Secretariat team structure, Group corporate governance and other charts (using Visio);
• City of London ward / voter / vote management;
• Registered office notice compliance;
• Support for Directors’ interests and conflicts reporting;
• Team risk register review and update;
• Howden Group-level data protection and register of processing review, and team mailbox access management;
• Perform required tasks accurately and efficiently to the required standard and speed.
• Assist the Group Company Secretary and Assistant Group Company Secretary on an ad hoc basis where required in Howden Group-level responsibilities including:
• yperion-level Maintenance and development of the Company Secretariat intranet; and
• Director passportdHyperion-level data proM&A activity, Group-wide large corporate projects (including utilising the Monday.com project management platform) and ad hoc matters.

Key Accountabilities (What you are measured on)

• Understanding the requirements of the Group and responding appropriately in dealing with a varied workload and sometimes conflicting priorities
• Ability to produce required material accurately and within required timescales
• Ability to understand the needs of others and to deal with colleagues and Board members sensitively, with discretion and with a good sense of humour
• Dealing appropriately with confidential information
• Responding promptly to requests for assistance 

Key Competencies (Skills and abilities needed to perform role)

• Strong written English and minuting skills
• Able to work with people of all levels of seniority
• Technical knowledge
• Accuracy / attention to detail
• Good communication and presentational skills
• Organisational /time management skills and flexibility
• Ability to deal with multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment
• Experience providing great customer service

Key Competencies (Knowledge and experience)

• Minimum 2 years’ company secretarial experience predominantly gained in the Insurance industry
• Minute taking experience necessary
• Diligent Entities experience (or equivalent)
• Diligent Boards experience (or equivalent)
• Knowledge of existing UK statutory and regulatory legislation

Professional Qualifications

• ACG essential (part or fully qualified)
• Educated to degree level, ideally Finance or Law

Legal experience useful

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new

• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges

• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

Reasonable adjustments

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent