Published on 9th November, 2022
Hiring a company secretary is one of the requirements of company incorporation in Singapore. Whether you are a small startup or a big enterprise, you need to hire a corporate secretary within 6 months of their incorporation otherwise they may be subject to penalties or hefty fines.
This shows how much important this position is and how much importance should be given to the hiring process. To be on the safe side, companies often prefer to outsource and hire corporate secretarial services.
However, choosing the best corporate secretarial services Singapore provider is still a responsibility and special attention must be given to it.
Here are a few tips to help you choose the best company secretary in Singapore.
Tips For Hiring the Best Corporate Secretary
1. Qualified And Registered
As mentioned earlier, a company secretary is an important position as he will be responsible for the administration of the company. A company secretary will ensure that your company is following all the organizational rules and regulations and that the company director and shareholders are aware of the statuary obligations and regulations.
So, to ensure that the company secretary position is filled with a proficient individual, you must ensure that he/she is qualified and registered. Here are some points that will make sure that the company secretary is eligible for the critical post.
- He must be an ACRA registered filing agent.
- He must be a member of the Chartered Secretaries Institute of Singapore.
- He must be a member of the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association.
- He must have served as a secretary for 3 years before being appointed as a public sector secretary.
- He must be qualified under the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants.
- He must be qualified as Certified Public Accountant.
2. Check The Experience
The next you should look for is industry-relevant experience. Industry-relevant experience is as important as the qualification of a company secretary. If you are a startup, you must be lacking in experience and an experienced company secretary can provide you with the best industry knowledge. He/she will help you in taking critical decisions and help put your startup on the right track.
So, always ask the corporate services company for relevant experience. You cannot ignore the benefits an experienced corporate secretary can provide you over an inexperienced one.
3. Look For Technology
Gone are the days when corporate secretaries used to work on registers and piles of papers. It is a digital era and ACRA has also digitalized most of its operations. So, look for corporate secretarial services that are accustomed to the latest technological advancements.
Technology adds so much value and eases the usual corporate work. You don’t have to wait for signatures as digital signatures can be acquired at any time of the day. Similarly, digitalization reduces a lot of paperwork, cost, and errors that occur because of excessive use of paper.
4. Services Offered
It is always better to choose a corporate service provider that provides a wide range of corporate services. At the moment, you might only need a corporate secretary but you will need more services like bookkeeping, accounting, payroll services, HR services, and others later on.
If your company’s secretarial service provider cannot provide you with other services, you will again have to start a search for a service provider which would be a lot of time waste and hassle.
5. Reputation
Another important thing that you must not ignore in your quest for the best corporate secretarial services in Singapore, is the reputation of the company. Look over their website and check who are their current clients. Moreover, you can also check testimonials and reviews about their services over the internet and social media accounts.
6. Cost
Cost is one thing that determines whether you are hiring the best corporate company secretarial services in Singapore or not. Some corporate services companies will charge you more and some will charge less. But the key factor here is, are they including all the necessary costs in the package or there are some hidden charges which will be revealed when you sign the contract? Here are some questions that will help you figure out the hidden cost:
- Is the ACRA fee included in the package?
- Is filing an annual return included in the package?
- Are there separate charges for updating company information on the ACRA website?
- What would be the charges for any service not included in the package?
7. Hire Shorts Business Services
Shorts Business Services is a reputed and renowned corporate service provider company in Singapore. Hiring us will give you access to a highly qualified and experienced corporate secretary who will make sure that all your corporate requirements are fulfilled. Our company secretaries have all the expertise required to attend to your unique business needs.
Feel free to contact us to get the best corporate secretary Singapore for your business.