Chennai: The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) will establish more study centres in colleges and schools to create awareness about the programme and to break the distance barrier for students belonging to cities in which their offices are not present, said the institute president Ranjeet Pandey.
He was in the city recently to promote ICSI and its programmes as an alternative career choice for students finishing school and fresh college graduates.
Talking about ICSI, Pandey said, “The ICSI is a 50-year-old statutory body set up under an act of Parliament to regulate and develop the profession of company secretary in India. Company secretaries are developed only by this institute and we operate directly under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.”
On the role and need for a company secretary, Pandey said, “Every company having paid up capital of more than Rs 5 crore are required to appoint company secretary according to law. We are a key contributor to the growth of corporate governance in the country and we are responsible for the efficient administration of a company, particularly with regard to ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. We also ensure that decisions made the board of directors is implemented within a company.”
“A person qualified as a company secretary will be taken up in a key managerial position in a company or they can opt to start their own practice. Company secretaries can find work in consultancies, teaching line, law firms, banking, public sector undertakings, and so on,” he added.
Pandey said, at present there are 73 chapters of ICSI with a presence in all four Metro cities. He added that the ICSI also has 98 study centers in colleges and school and will add more in the coming years to get more students to take the course. “Students passing class 12 exams can opt for this course. That’s the minimum requirement.”
Commenting on the latest SEBI norms on penalties against company secretaries erring in their duty, Pandey said, “The latest norms of markets regulator Sebi on secretarial audit will help improve transparency in corporate governance practices.”