Industry-leading corporate secretarial services
BoardRoom’s dedicated team offers company secretarial services for businesses of all sizes throughout Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region. Whether you want to incorporate your new local enterprise or you’re registering a company from overseas, our comprehensive corporate secretarial services team can help your business thrive.
With a strong 50-year history, BoardRoom is known as one of the most reliable and skilled company secretarial service providers in Hong Kong and throughout the wider Asia-Pacific region, with an expert team who understands the different cultures, traditions, and customs you will need to navigate local and cross border operations.
Why do I need company secretarial services in Hong Kong?
In order to incorporate a company successfully in Hong Kong, you should make sure you have appointed a capable company secretarial service before getting started with business registration. This is essential for the following reasons:
- First and foremost, having a company secretary is a legal requirement for all Hong Kong-registered companies. Be aware that you could even risk prosecution if you are trying to operate without one.
- A company secretary’s main duties revolve around ensuring compliance with local regulations, policies, and laws – in short, keeping your business up-to-date and out of trouble.
- Company secretaries also act as the main communication point between your business and the Hong Kong administration, helping to answer any questions or provide details about your business.
All of the above means you need competent, fully knowledgeable company secretarial resources for your business to operate smoothly and lawfully.
Choosing BoardRoom for your company secretarial services in Hong Kong
We provide high-quality corporate secretarial services for businesses large and small, including companies that are expanding globally. Grow your business with our professional team by your side and ensure premium service delivery for your clients.
01 Corporate secretarial assistance
By providing a full suite of company secretarial services, our knowledgeable team can ensure your business complies with local secretarial Hong Kong rules and regulations.
We can help with:
02 Corporate Governance and secretarial compliance services
Ensure your entity or entities adheres to best practice corporate governance and compliance with all relevant corporate regulations in Hong Kong and across the Asia-Pacific region.
We can help with:
- Yearly statutory filing for compliance with relevant laws and regulations
- Updating and safely storing statutory registers, minute books and company records
- Board meeting management
- Shareholders’ meeting management
- Advising and preparing documentation to facilitate corporate restructuring and corporate actions such as change of directors, secretaries, allotment of shares, transfer of shares, change of company name, alteration of articles, reduction of capital, etc.
03 Corporate Governance and secretarial services to listed issuers
Support listed issuers in corporate governance matters and compliance with Hong Kong Listing Rules and other applicable rules and regulations.
We can help with:
- Acting as named company secretary or joint company secretaries
- Acting as authorised representative or alternate authorised representative under Listing Rules
- Advising and assisting in setting up of corporate governance framework such as developing the related policies, processes or mechanism and assistance in publication of corporate governance report.
- Advising and assisting in publication of annual and interim results and reports
- Board and committee meetings management
- Shareholders’ meeting management
- Statutory filing with Hong Kong Companies Registry and notification to Hong Kong Stock Exchange
- Advising and assisting in corporate action
04 Company cessation and business liquidation services
Closing off your business is never an easy decision to make, but BoardRoom helps make the technical process a little smoother, providing guidance and support to assist you in managing all aspects of a business closure.
We can help with:
YOUR POINT OF CONTACT
Esther Choy
Head of the Corporate Secretarial
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are corporate secretarial services?
Corporate secretarial services encompass a wide range of categories from business incorporation and registration of new companies to the development of company constitutions, amendments, and AGM/EGM resolutions which fall under the scope and duties of a company secretary. Put simply, corporate secretarial services help keep your company in compliance with local regulations and corporate compliance matters.
2. Is it mandatory to appoint a company secretary?
In Hong Kong, every company is required to appoint a company secretary. The appointed company secretary must reside in Hong Kong, while the company must also have a registered office or principal place of business in Hong Kong. A director of the company may also take up the role of a company secretary, unless he/she is the sole director. In this case, companies will usually engage the corporate secretarial services of a corporate service provider like BoardRoom.
3. What are the main duties of a company secretary?
A company secretary is usually appointed by your company’s board of directors. They are responsible for ensuring that the company stays compliant with any relevant statutory obligations and corporate governance guidelines.
Your company secretary will have the following responsibilities:
- maintaining statutory books and records
- safekeeping legal documents
- facilitating tax compliance and management
- organising and attending board meetings between directors and shareholders of the company
- lodging and filing all the corporate documents required by law
- ensuring that the company meets its statutory and regulatory obligations
- providing secretarial support and assisting with ad-hoc admin
4. Who should I appoint as a company secretary?
Appointing the most proficient company secretary is essential for your business to operate smoothly, efficiently, and lawfully. For best results, you should consider engaging a company secretarial services provider that:
- is a corporate entity registered in Hong Kong
- holds a TCSP License (starting from March 2018)
- has thorough experience in corporate governance
- stays on top of the latest regulatory developments
- possesses excellent communication and collaboration skills
- is extremely organised and good at planning
- is able to handle multiple operational tasks at once
5. What are the benefits of having company secretarial services in Hong Kong?
Having a company secretary keeps you compliant and in line with legal requirements in Hong Kong. Without proper corporate secretarial services, companies suffer from compliance issues and potential corporate actions which may cause problems later down the line. Having a dedicated company secretarial team can help listed and non-listed companies in Hong Kong stay compliant with the latest company statutory regulations and the Hong Kong listing rules.
6. What are the advantages of outsourcing company secretarial services for Hong Kong businesses?
The advantages of outsourcing your company secretarial services are twofold. For smaller business in Hong Kong who may not need a full-time in-house company secretary, outsourcing the role allows them to maintain compliance and keep abreast of any developments at a lower cost whilst maintaining a professional standard. For larger companies, outsourcing company secretarial services allows them to streamline their processes. Enlisting help from professionals like BoardRoom can provide practical solutions and guarantee the highest standards of corporate compliance. This can greatly save on labour and time costs, allowing you to focus on other core aspects of your business.
7. What is a Nominee Director in Hong Kong?
In Hong Kong, companies must declare the identity of their directors and shareholders. A nominee director is a non-executive director that can be appointed to protect the identity of the true company director should they wish to remain anonymous, and who will represent the company on their behalf. Any company must have at least one director on its board. If necessary, BoardRoom can provide nominee director services in Hong Kong. Get in touch with us to find out more.
8. How to close off or deregister a company in Hong Kong?
If you need to close a business, you cannot simply stop filling out your annual filings – you must close off your business in a legal manner. The Hong Kong Companies Registry has the power to deregister a company, should the business not be in operation or carrying out business anymore.
To apply for closing off a business in Hong Kong, you must:
- Apply for a ‘Notice of No Objection’, as all members of the organisation must agree to the dissolution.
- Submit a completed application form (IR1263) and a fee of HK$270 to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue for processing.
Get in touch with us for more information and help with closing off a company in Hong Kong.
9. How can BoardRoom assist with corporate secretarial services?
Company secretary work can be a huge administrative burden on your company. Outsourcing that work to BoardRoom can help alleviate this work, allowing you to focus on your business’s core competencies. We will work together with your other advisors to keep your business compliant while offering sound and practical advice.
As market leaders, we have streamlined our processes to be as efficient as possible for all our clients, resulting in a quick and seamless service when it comes to preparing and organising corporate documents. If you would like to know more about how BoardRoom can assist, get in touch with one of our specialists in Hong Kong today.