PoloWorks
Assistant Company Secretary
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Assistant Company Secretary
Department: Central Services
Employment Type: Permanent
Location: London
Reporting To: Company Secretary
Compensation: £50,000 - £55,000 / year
Description
The Assistant Company Secretary supports the Company Secretariat in delivering an effective, timely and compliant company secretarial and corporate governance service across the group's regulated entities — Polo Managing Agency Limited (PMA), Polo Commercial Insurance Services Limited (PCIS), Polo Partners, and the Lloyd's syndicates managed by PMA.
Working under the direction of the Company Secretary, the role provides hands-on support for board and committee administration, statutory and regulatory compliance, entity management and governance projects. It is a delivery-focused role: the post-holder prepares, maintains and coordinates governance documentation and processes to a high professional standard, escalating judgement calls and matters of interpretation to the Company Secretary.
Key Responsibilities
Board and committee support
- Assist in the preparation and circulation of annual board and committee meeting calendars across PMA, PCIS, Polo Partners and the managed syndicates.
- Draft agendas in liaison with committee chairs, the Company Secretary and management, and collate, format and quality-check board and committee papers ahead of distribution.
- Compile and publish meeting packs through the board portal, tracking the timely submission of papers by contributors and chasing outstanding items.
- Provide logistical support for meetings, including scheduling, room and video-conference arrangements, attendee management and the co-ordination of external attendees and presenters.
- Support the induction of new directors and committee members, helping to prepare induction packs and maintain onboarding materials.
Minutes, actions and follow-up
- Prepare accurate first-draft minutes of board and committee meetings for review by the Company Secretary, capturing decisions, delegations and the substance of discussion.
- Maintain matters-arising and action logs, tracking progress and following up with action owners to support timely closure.
- Help draft written resolutions and record decisions taken outside of meetings, ensuring proper documentation and retention.
Statutory compliance and entity management
- Maintain statutory registers and the entity management system (Diligent Entities) for group companies, keeping records of directors, secretaries, shareholders, PSCs and registered particulars accurate and up to date.
- Prepare and submit Companies House filings, including confirmation statements, appointments and resignations, changes of particulars and filing of resolutions and constitutional documents.
- Assist with the maintenance and safekeeping of statutory books, minute books, common seals and constitutional documents (including Articles of Association).
- Support constitutional and corporate housekeeping projects, such as updates to Articles of Association and members' resolutions, and associated filings.
- Help maintain the group structure chart and directorship and committee-membership schedules.
Corporate governance
- Assist in maintaining the governance framework documentation, including Terms of Reference, delegated authority matrices, governance maps and committee structures, in line with the approved house style.
- Support the maintenance of conflicts of interest registers, gifts and hospitality registers and related-party records, and help ensure disclosures are properly recorded.
- Contribute to annual governance activities such as board effectiveness reviews, governance health checks and the preparation of governance-related returns and disclosures.
- Help prepare board and committee training materials and coordinate training sessions, including those aligned to the Lloyd's Principles.
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Regulatory support (Lloyd's / FCA / PRA / SM&CR)
- Assist with the preparation and submission of regulatory notifications and applications (for example director and Senior Manager approvals), liaising with compliance as required.
- Support the co-ordination of information and evidence requested by Lloyd's, the FCA and the PRA, and help maintain the associated records.
- Help monitor governance-related regulatory developments and support their implementation under the direction of the Company Secretary and compliance.
Syndicate governance support
- Provide company secretarial and administrative support to the governance arrangements of the Lloyd's syndicates managed by PMA, including syndicate-level committees and boards.
- Assist with the preparation of syndicate governance documentation and the co-ordination of meetings, papers and minutes for syndicate committees.
- Support governance activity relating to syndicate business plans, capacity and capital, and other Lloyd's processes, as directed.
Systems, board portal and document management
- Administer the board portal (Admincontrol), managing user access, meeting workspaces, document uploads and archiving, and supporting the phase-out of legacy platforms.
- Maintain governance records and document libraries within SharePoint and the entity management system, applying consistent version control, naming and retention conventions.
- Use governance and productivity technology (for example Diligent Entities, Asana and Microsoft Copilot) to support efficient workflow, task tracking and record-keeping.
Corporate projects and transactions
- Support corporate and financing transactions by preparing conditions-precedent documentation, specimen signature and authorised-signatory certificates, written resolutions and powers of attorney, matched to internal precedent formats.
- Assist with cross-entity and cross-border governance matters, including the preparation of directors' resolutions, letters of authority and proxy or notarisation documentation, as directed.
- Contribute to governance improvement projects, including systems rationalisation, process documentation and the roll-out of new templates and standards.
Team and general support
- Provide day-to-day support to the Company Secretariat, contributing to a responsive and well-organised service to boards, management and stakeholders.
- Maintain trackers, checklists and the governance calendar to support the timely completion of statutory and regulatory deadlines.
- Undertake such other duties consistent with the role and grade as may reasonably be required by the Company Secretary.
Personal Attributes
- Studying towards, or holding, the CGI (Chartered Governance Institute / ICSA) qualification, or equivalent
- Company secretarial or corporate governance experience, ideally within a regulated financial services or insurance environment
- Experience of the Lloyd's, FCA and/or PRA regulated environment, including the London insurance market
- Working knowledge of the Companies Act 2006 and statutory filing requirements
- Familiarity with SM&CR and its governance and record-keeping requirements
- Experience of drafting agendas, board and committee papers, and minutes
- Experience of entity management and board portal software (e.g. Diligent Entities, Admincontrol)
- Strong Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint) and comfort with new technology
- Knowledge of the Lloyd's Principles and managing-agency governance
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Key Relationships
Internal: Company Secretary and Company Secretariat team; directors and committee members of PMA, PCIS, Polo Partners and the managed syndicates; senior management; and the compliance, risk, legal, finance and underwriting functions.
External: the Society of Lloyd's, the FCA and the PRA; external legal advisers and auditors; Companies House; banks and counterparties; and other group and third-party contacts as required.
General and Regulatory
The post-holder is expected to act with integrity, due skill, care and diligence, and to comply with the FCA and PRA Conduct Rules, the Lloyd's Principles, the group's policies and applicable law and regulation at all times.
This job description is not exhaustive and describes the role as it is currently constituted. It may be reviewed and amended from time to time in consultation with the post-holder to reflect the evolving needs of the business and the regulated entities it supports.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- Accuracy and attention to detail: produces precise, well-formatted documentation and maintains reliable records in a document-intensive environment.
- Written communication: drafts clearly and professionally for boards, regulators and legal counterparties, and follows established internal precedents and house style.
- Organisation: manages competing deadlines and multiple entities, working methodically to statutory and regulatory timescales.
- Discretion and integrity: handles confidential and price-sensitive information with sound judgement and professionalism.
- Collaboration: works effectively with directors, senior management, compliance, legal and external advisers, and knows when to escalate.
- Diligence and improvement: takes ownership of assigned tasks, follows through to completion, and contributes to improving governance processes and tools.
- Demonstrates behaviours aligned to the PoloWorks PRIDE values:
- Pioneering – we don’t stand still
- Responsible – We do the right thing
- Inclusive – we all play a role
- Delivery Focused – we provide services we are proud of
- Empowering – we equip people to be their best
Benefits
- As well as a competitive salary, discretionary annual bonus, and a minimum 24 days of annual leave (with the option to buy more), you will also get an excellent benefits package, including flexible, hybrid working, private health insurance, life assurance, income protection, enhanced pension contributions, and occupational maternity and paternity pay.
- You will also have access to company volunteering days, an Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing scheme, an employee assistance programme with retail discounts and savings, a generous employee referral scheme and regular sports and social events.
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