Essential Skills for Board Secretary Excellence

Overview:

Introduction:

This training program is tailored to equip secretaries of boards of directors and committees with essential skills and knowledge. Through it, participants will learn the responsibilities, duties, and best practices associated with their roles, including meeting documentation, governance procedures, and legal compliance.

Program Objectives:

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Define the role and responsibilities of a secretary for boards of directors and committees.

• Manage and document meeting minutes effectively, ensuring legal compliance and accuracy.

• Understand governance procedures and the importance of their role in supporting board activities.

• Utilize best practices for preparing meeting agendas and related documentation.

• Recognize the legal responsibilities of the board and ensure adherence to corporate governance standards.

Targeted Audience:

• Secretaries of boards of directors and committees seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge.

• Administrative professionals responsible for supporting board and committee operations.

• Employees aspiring to become secretaries of boards of directors and committees.

• Organizations aiming to strengthen the capabilities of their secretarial staff.

• Professionals interested in understanding the role and responsibilities of secretaries in governance structures.

Program Outline:

Unit 1:

The Secretary's Role and Responsibilities:

• Definition of the job and role of the secretary.

• A historical presentation on the evolution of the secretary's profession.

• The importance of the position of the Secretary of the Board of Directors and its connection to governance.

• Qualities that the Secretary of the Board of Directors should possess.

• General rules.

• The roles and duties of the Secretary of the Board of Directors.

Unit 2:

Managing Meeting Documentation:

• The history of minutes, when they began and how they developed.

• Minutes as legal documents of a special nature.

• Who is entitled to see the minutes, when and how.

• Agenda and best practices in its preparation.

• Drafting the agenda in Arabic.

• Drafting the agenda in English.

Unit 3:

Meeting Procedures and Governance:

• Secretariat's work procedures guide, its importance and best practices.

• Meeting attachments and their importance as an integral part of the meeting minutes.

• Use of board programs and applications.

• Boardroom meetings.

• When do we need council/committee decisions.

• Validity of the decisions of the Board of Directors.

Unit 4:

Governance and Legal Responsibilities of the Board:

• The Board of Directors, its legal responsibilities, and its powers.

• Introducing the Board of Directors, its responsibilities and the distribution of competencies and powers.

• Membership characteristics, general rules regarding the formation of the Board of Directors and the independence of its members, the Board and its committees.

• Board meeting minutes.

• Governance of the Board of Directors and its committees.

• Important regulations and policies of the Board of Directors.

Unit 5:

Corporate Governance and Legal Compliance:

• The holding company and subsidiary company.

• Subsidiary company governance.

• Governance of administrative committees.

• Matrix of powers and the principle of separation of duties.

• Agencies Powers of Attorney (PoA) and how to reduce the need for them.

• The tort liability of the members of the Board of Directors The Tort.