By Blandine CORDIER-PALASSE, Revue RH&M, n°69 p.34
A number of recent appointments have put the spotlight on this position, which has often remained in the shadows, despite its strategic importance and influence within the company. How can HR help position the company secretary in relation to the CEO?
Under the impact of globalisation and digital transformation, the role of the company secretary is once again becoming important.
Traditionally, the company secretary was the chairman's man. Today, as organisations become more complex, companies are once again opting to have a company secretary. They are making this position a pivotal one, even if its geometry varies from one organisation to another.
Very close to the Chairman or CEO, he is at once a strategic and political advisor and a conductor of orchestras, coordinating a number of operational and support functions. To this must be added a strategic, organisational and managerial vision. Which just goes to show what a challenging job this is. Sometimes he or she is a man or woman in the shadows, but always a diplomat and a fine negotiator. This exceptional profile is a major asset in helping the company to become more agile and fluid. The aim is to make a success of its organisational and digital transformation.
In certain business sectors - technological or regulated - we frequently see enarques or senior civil servants in these positions. Laurent Vallée is General Secretary of Carrefour. He is in charge of legal affairs, sustainable development, public affairs, audit and the Carrefour Foundation. We're finding that profiles like his, which combine ENA and business school, with a career alternating between public service and private enterprise, are very much in demand.
The growing complexity of the international regulatory environment and governance is also a factor in recruitment.
The pressures of governance and the growing demands in terms of ethics and compliance are leading to a growing interest in this position.
The growing need for company directors to have a trusted advisor to manage governance, act as a link between the board and management and support international development requires more legal profiles. Anne-Sophie Le Lay, former General Counsel of Renault, has just been appointed General Secretary of Air France.
The meteoric rise in the culture of compliance and risk management - and ultimately of image and reputation risk - requires both multi-expertise and multi-experience in order to be able to establish solid coordination within the company. Isabelle Simon, General Secretary of Thalès, was a lawyer at the New York and Paris bars. She was then a senior banker at Goldman Sachs. A graduate of Sciences Po, HEC and Harvard, she illustrates this trend.
The role of HR in positioning the company secretary function in relation to the CEO
HR is familiar with the culture, organisation and challenges of the company. It will therefore be the driving force behind determining the right profile and validating the scope of the future Company Secretary's duties. Indeed, depending on the size of the company, the scope of activity can vary greatly. In small and medium-sized companies, for example, we see company secretaries who are also CFOs or DJs. This makes their job both more exciting and more efficient. They are in a position to judge the risks and actions to be taken to secure the company's development.
In large groups, creating or resizing the post of Company Secretary depends on factors both external to the company and linked to its culture and ambitions. Here again, we recruiters can play an advisory role. Our role is to work with the masters of the subject, i.e. the CEO and his HR department.
