Assistant Company Secretary

3 days ago

London Area, United Kingdom RELX Full time

Job Description

About the Role:

In this role, you will assist the Head of Secretariat in delivering the strategy and mandate of the Company Secretariat function. You will identify and design strategic and operational solutions for managing RELX’s global entities, maintaining and overseeing these to reduce compliance risk, streamline processes, and drive operational excellence and efficiency. You will manage RELX’s shareholder services in the UK, US, and the Netherlands with business and functional partners to create value. Additionally, you will manage the Company Secretarial Assistant and Assistant Company Secretary in India, supporting best practices in corporate governance and ensuring statutory and regulatory compliance from RELX’s listings in London, Amsterdam, and New York, with a focus on maintaining accurate statutory records and timely filing of returns and regulatory announcements.


About the Team:

The RELX PLC Company Secretariat based in London is a small team of company secretariat professionals. It is responsible for ensuring that RELX meets its obligations in relation to governance, compliance, shareholders and share plan participants and supports the effective functioning of the Boards and their Committees. The London Company Secretariat team operates alongside other Company Secretarial teams in Delaware, Amsterdam and Delhi.


Responsibilities:

Global entity governance and management

  • Lead RELX’s global entity governance framework, improving subsidiary governance processes, controls, and ways of working. Develop and maintain subsidiary management policies and frameworks and oversee governance processes and corporate records.
  • Collaborate with RELX’s Business Areas and peer corporate functions to identify and anticipate areas of risk, offering high-quality advice on company secretarial processes and best governance practices. Review existing governance processes, evaluate optimal models for subsidiary management, and implement improvements based on best market practices.
  • Manage the implementation, use, and ongoing development of Diligent Entities within RELX. Take ownership of the relationship with Diligent, ensuring the strategic use of the software across RELX for optimised usage.

Committees

  • Provide full company secretarial support to the RELX Disclosure Committee. Manage relationships with the Disclosure Committee Chair and members, ensuring a thorough understanding of the Committee's work and compliance requirements. Ensure RELX complies with UK Listing obligations, Disclosure and Transparency Rules, and Market Abuse Regulations.

Listed Company Compliance

  • Responsibility for the timely discharge of regulatory announcements and filings - Buyback, Blocklisting, Total Voting Rights, Director Declarations, PDMR Share dealing, TR-1 Notifications and Share Cancellations.

Shareholder Relations and Meetings

  • Support the development and implementation of a shareholder strategy for the UK, NL, and US. Implement cost initiatives and ensure a clear, cost-focused approach across all retail shareholder communications. Oversee communications with retail investors and ADR holders.
  • Oversee quarterly dividend payments, including approval of stationery, authorisation of payments, purchase of Dividend Re-investment Plan (DRIP) shares, and management of unclaimed dividends and forfeiture procedures.
  • Oversee the project management, compliance, and logistical arrangements of the AGM and other shareholder meetings. This includes producing necessary documentation (e.g., Notice of Meeting, Shareholder resolutions, Chairman’s Procedural Script, Proxy Form & Voting Instruction Form, US Voting Form), organising audio/visual and staging requirements, and liaising with Equiniti. Ensure the AGM is properly constituted and compliant with relevant statutes and governance codes.
  • Work with ABN Amro, Computershare, and Citi Bank to ensure efficient voting platforms. Collaborate with the Senior Assistant Company Secretary (PLC and Board Governance) and other colleagues to review and respond to proxy voting reports. Ensure RELX meets best practice standards for top FTSE-listed companies, considering the needs and preferences of internal stakeholders.

UK Company Compliance and Statutory Accounts Process

  • Draft Board resolutions for various business needs, such as Powers of Attorney, corporate restructures, and dividend payments. Provide guidance and support to the Finance function and Business Areas in preparing and filing statutory accounts. Oversee the entity reduction project, including capital reductions, dividend payments, and strike-off applications, while coordinating with Companies House, Tax, and Finance departments.
  • Manage responses to shareholder enquiries, liaising with Investor Relations and Equiniti. Conduct periodic reviews and maintain Delegated Signing Authority lists for RELX Group plc and RELX (UK) Limited.

Annual Report

  • Assist in drafting sections of the Annual Report and Form 20-F, including the Directors’ Report and Shareholder Information pages. Manage the verification process for the Related Undertakings disclosure section, identify and implement improvements, and liaise with Equiniti on mailing logistics and shareholder communications.

Continuous Improvement and Team Development

  • Lead, motivate, and develop team members, ensuring they have the necessary knowledge and skills. Mentor the Company Secretarial Assistant and Assistant Company Secretary in India to enhance their technical and practical knowledge.
  • Represent RELX in FTSE peer network groups, introduce valuable practices, and make proposals for improving the subsidiary governance framework. Stay updated on statutory and regulatory requirements and assist in reviewing and updating Company Secretarial operating procedures.
  • Assist the Head of Secretariat in raising the profile of the Company Secretarial team through positive engagement in corporate projects and developing strong relationships with colleagues across the business.


Qualifications

  • Be a qualified member of the Chartered Governance Institute (Associate level)
  • Have significant experience of working in international FTSE-listed company secretariat functions is essential.
  • Have working knowledge of the legal, regulatory and corporate governance framework applying to listed companies.
  • Show accuracy and a close attention to detail with a high-level expertise in Diligent Entities and Board.
  • Be confident and articulate in order to deal credibly with senior executives and managers inside and outside of RELX.
  • Be proficient in Microsoft word, excel, PowerPoint and outlook.
  • Have a proven ability to think and work independently, whilst being a strong team player and identifying areas where improvements can be made.
  • Bring a proactive approach to managing and delivering tasks, and a strong sense of accountability and ownership of the role.
  • Have a collaborative approach to working, making a positive contribution to the global team, supporting others in delivering and working positively with other functions and businesses.
  • Have an open approach to work including job/task rotation to ensure there is a shared base of knowledge and experience within the Company Secretariat team.

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