Assistant Company Secretary
18 hours ago
London
Who Are We Founded in 1896, Knight Frank was registered as Knight Frank LLP a Limited Liability Partnership, on 3 November 2003, registered in England & Wales at 55 Baker Street, London, W1U 8AN with the registered number of OC305934. Headquartered in London, UK, Knight Frank is one of the world's leading independent real estate consultancies. We work responsibly in partnership to enhance people's lives and environments in over 50 Markets, 600+ Offices, 20,000+ People, 1 Global Network. At the heart of all we do are our Clients. A relationship built on trust is vital. As trusted partners in property, we act with integrity and care, understanding our clients’ unique needs and consistently thinking about the bigger picture to provide personalised, clear and considered advice across all areas of property. Through our deep understanding of key markets and sectors – both emerging and established – we are dedicated to meeting and exceeding their property goals. A true partnership is a balanced one, and our People are passionate about, and committed to, making our business inclusive and diverse. We give every individual the space and opportunity to perform at their best and be recognised for the immense value they bring. We empower everyone to have autonomy in their role and encourage them to use their voice in how we can make a positive impact as a firm and shape the future of real estate, the built environment and the impact on the communities we serve. Our collaborative and engaged teams provide excellent and dedicated client service. In our workplace, opinions are respected, everyone is invited to contribute to the success of our business and innovation, and new ideas are celebrated. In 2021 we celebrated our 125th anniversary and set out Our Desired Future, cemented in three pillars: People Potential, Client Centricity and always Creating our Future, together. Learn more about what sets us apart ___. About The Role Knight Frank is looking to hire an Assistant Company Secretary to join their Head Office in Baker Street. We are the world’s leading independent international property consultancy, headquartered in the UK, offering agency and professional advice across Commercial, Residential and Rural sectors. Established in 1896, Knight Frank now comprises a global network of over 27,000 people in 740+ Offices across 50 Territories. Role The Company Secretariat team at Knight Frank was created in 2022 reporting to the Chief Finance Officer with connections to other business support functions. As an emerging team within the firm this a great opportunity to support the Senior Assistant and Group Company Secretaries in a number of initiatives that are shaping a refreshed approach to corporate governance at Knight Frank. The role will be responsible for a broad range of company secretarial activities, reporting to and providing support to the Senior Assistant Company Secretary with the ability to operate independently. The role will initially have a focus on Knight Frank’s entities in the Asia Pacific region, but will work collaboratively within the Company Secretariat team to provide a high-quality company secretarial service to the Knight Frank Global Network. Responsibilities • Support and advise senior leadership on director responsibilities., • Preparation of board meeting packs, including drafting resolutions, agendas, minute preparation., • Updating and maintaining the global corporate data held in Sharepoint and Diligent Entities, cross-checking alignment against local country commercial registers, including but not limited to the core company registers, corporate documents and agreements., • Supporting rollout of the entity management system, Diligent Entities, to meet the requirements of the corporate structure at Knight Frank and ensuring ongoing maintenance., • Assisting with requests from the business for company statutory information and sourcing documents for the business and external parties; specifically sourcing UBO and corporate structure details., • Support the completion of due diligence requests by banks and clients and required certification., • Provide technical advice and oversee coordination with notary on notarial, translation and legalisation of corporate documents., • Manage and execute ad hoc projects, such as share allotments, review of constitutions, name changes, director changes in differing jurisdictions etc., • Incorporating new companies under the instruction of the Group Company Secretary., • Assist with and execute actions from the Global Investment Committee, including but not limited to – reviewing and managing licence agreements, drafting minutes/resolutions, coordinating execution of agreements, completing company dissolutions/incorporations, including de-risking corporate activities across the Group., • Assist in drafting, reviewing, and issuing Power of Attorneys., • Support with changes required as part of the quarterly updates in maintaining the global group structure and network diagrams in Visio, including linked documents of managing Group and Network lists that are made available., • Review of statutory annual financial statements and associated documents in a timely manner., • Oversee electronic and ink signatures of corporate documents with senior leadership., • Monitor and support in developments in corporate governance and regulatory changes, best practices and recommend changes to the Group Company Secretary; especially in relation to narrative report changes., • Support other business support functions on corporate activities i.e. Treasury with bank mandate changes, Insurance renewals, declarations of interest., • Liaising and supporting global offices on corporate maintenance. Key Experience And Skills Required • A qualified Company Secretary with a minimum of post-qualification 2 years working experience in the field. Would consider if the candidate has work experience in the field and recently completed qualification., • Not essential but would benefit in having company secretarial experience in other medium to large-sized global companies., • Good knowledge of the UK Companies Act and application of good governance across other jurisdictions., • Keen desire to grow and learn as part of a team that is rapidly extending its influence into the business and shaping the Firm’s governance., • Experience of developing, managing and maintaining company secretarial entity management systems, preferably Diligent, • Strong technical knowledge and ability to interpret, communicate and apply corporate law and governance., • In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office software in particular Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio and Teams., • Experience with DocuSign., • Knowledge of standard office administrative practices and procedures., • Willing to be hands on, get involved with issues and support colleagues constructively., • Enthusiastic with a positive “can-do” attitude., • Ability to work under own initiative / achieve deadlines / prioritise / timescales essential., • Be used to dealing with internal management teams and comfortable with interfacing with board of directors., • Ability to interface at highest levels with a high level of tact and diplomacy is essential., • Act with precision, accuracy, integrity and discretion., • Be easy to work with and have a sense of humour., • Willingness to develop knowledge of Company Secretariat and Knight Frank systems Competitive salary Please note: this is a Direct Search led by Knight Frank. Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted nor will fees be paid for unsolicited CVs, even if provided by PSL agencies.