Become a corporate planner

Updated on: Monday, August 16, 2010

As we all know the growing demand for specialists in almost every sphere of corporate life has led to the emergence of professionals who can perform specialised skills in their respective arenas. A Company Secretary (CS) is one such professional who is responsible for the efficient management of the corporate sector. The job entails being a legal expert; a compliance officer of the company; an expert in corporate law, securities laws and capital market and corporate governance; chief advisor to the board of directors on best practices in corporate governance; a corporate planner and a strategic manager. A Company Secretary is also responsible for all the regulatory compliances of company. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has recognised practising Company Secretaries undertaking diligence report for banks.

Says Vinayak S. Khanvalkar, President, Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), “In India, the ICSI is a premier national professional body (imparting education primarily through distance learning) established by an Act of Parliament (Company Secretaries Act, 1980) to develop and regulate the profession of Company Secretaries. It is the only institute which offers this course and awards a certificate bestowing the designation of Company Secretary to candidates qualifying for membership of the institute.”

ICSI conducts the CS programme through correspondence and distance learning with a provision for optional oral coaching classes. There are three stages to be pursued to qualify as a CS. The first is a Foundation programme that consists of 4 papers and is for students who have passed 10+2. The second stage is an Executive programme for graduates, which has 6 papers — all of which need to be cleared. The third stage is a Professional programme that has 8 papers. After qualifying from the Executive and Professional programmes, students are required to undergo practical and management training to become qualified Company Secretaries.

While admission is open through the year, examinations are held twice a year in the month of June and December. Once, you are a qualified CS, you are enrolled as an Associate Member of the Institute and can use the descriptive title ‘ACS’ after your name. In order to facilitate students, there is a 24x7 e-learning portal (elearning.icsi.edu) that is available to them. Since the job of a CS is a specialised one, it’s not only financially rewarding, but also carries with it a high degree of job satisfaction.

And here’s good news. Campus interviews are organised by the ICSI where various companies participate and select suitable candidates on attractive packages. In a recent campus interview, meritorious students were picked up by regulators and reputed companies at very attractive salaries ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh per annum. In large corporates and multi-national companies, CSs can attract huge pay packages ranging between Rs 25 lakh and Rs.1 crore per annum. A qualified CS can also practice as an independent professional.

Become a corporate planner

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