Regional Governance Manager

The Role
The primary responsibility will be the management and coordination of the governance of our client's entities in the Western European region. The post holder will act as the principal point of contact to answer Corporate Governance questions and will be involvedin promoting a consistent and high standard of governance for entities within the Western European region. In turn the post holder will get to be part of a high performing, global team of governance professionals.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and coordinate the work of a team located in the UK and France (currently two in Reigate and two shared resources in Paris) engaged in the governance of approximately 125 entities located in the Western Europe region.
- Ensure that entities within the Western Europe region comply fully with relevant corporate legislation and make all appropriate filings with corporate regulators on a timely basis.
- Develop and implement consistency, simplicity and transparency among Western Europe region corporate governance.
- Establish a positive working environment in the Western Europe region and mentor and provide guidance to Secretariat team members engaged in corporate governance work in the Western Europe region.
- Ensure that accurate corporate data and structure charts are maintained for entities within the Western Europe region, in particular utilising and updating the Blueprint OneWorld corporate database.
- Assist in developing, maintaining and running on-boarding and continuing education and training programs for directors of entities within the Western Europe region.
- Attend relevant Board and Committee meetings as required.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with, and provide effective guidance to, the senior management of the various businesses of our client within the Western Europe region.
- Take a lead role in the Group-wide entity reduction programme insofar as it relates to the Western Europe region.
- Manage the terms of engagement and relationships with key external suppliers to the Secretariat function in the Western Europe region.
- Contribute to the wider Secretariat department, assisting in establishing and maintaining effective relationships with Local Governance Contacts and developing and maintaining good governance across the Group.
- Maintain open and transparent relationships with the other members of Secretariat and other central functions, particularly Legal, Compliance and Risk, Tax, Treasury, Finance and HR.
The Requirements

**Skills**:

- Comfortable with leading and managing others to achieve team and function objectives.
- Strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to manage and influence international stakeholders with competing demands.
- Good communication skills, particularly with non-native English language speakers. Ability to communication in French language is highly desirable.
- Team focussed with a flexible and solutions focussed approach.
- Ability to work with and influence staff at all levels, both at the corporate centre and in different parts of the world.
- Excellent planning, scheduling and coordination skills.
- An anticipatory and commercial approach.
- Ability to adapt to and embrace change.
- Aptitude for problem solving and managing projects with stretching delivery deadlines.
- Some European travel to subsidiary Board meetings may be required, particularly to the Paris office.

**Qualifications**:

- Chartered Secretary or Solicitor with governance and transactional experience.
- Ability to adapt to new environments and to work with other jurisdictions, with relevant experience in providing advice to entities within a range of Western European jurisdictions.
- Recent practical experience of delivering corporate governance solutions in a multi-national organisation is desirable.
- Experienced in operating in a regulated environment, ideally in the Financial Services or the Insurance sector, is desirable but not essential.
- Experience in managing a team