Published 30 August 2026 · updated 9 September 2026 · 4 min read
Private companies have not been required to appoint a company secretary since 2008. Public limited companies still must, and theirs must be qualified for the role.
What the role actually is
Keeping the statutory registers current, filing at Companies House on time, minuting board and shareholder decisions, and making sure resolutions are passed properly. Administrative, unglamorous, and the reason companies stay in good standing.
If you do not appoint one
The work does not go away — it falls to the directors, who are the ones legally responsible for it either way. Appointing a secretary does not transfer a director's duties; it just gives someone the job of doing the administration.
Reasons to appoint one anyway
- Somebody is clearly accountable for the filing calendar.
- Larger counterparties and lenders sometimes ask who holds the role.
- It is a way to give an operations or finance person formal standing without making them a director.
Reasons not to
It is a filed, public appointment with its own service address, and removing someone later is another filing. For a sole-director company it usually adds paperwork to solve a problem you do not have.
Who can be one
For a private company, effectively anyone the company appoints — including a corporate secretary. For a PLC, the secretary must meet statutory qualification requirements, which is one of several reasons a PLC is a heavier structure than it looks.
Nothing here is advice about your situation
It is general information about how UK company registration works, written to be accurate at the time of publication. Rules and fees change. Where a decision matters — tax, structure, an insolvent company — take advice on your own facts.