A trusted company secretary service provider
BoardRoom does more than just get your business off the ground. We are also committed to seeing it soar.
From incorporating your new company to keeping you compliant with legal regulations in the years that follow, we offer the full suite of company secretarial and corporate governance advisory services. Our goal is to help your business to succeed in the long term.
With over 50 years of experience, we have become one of the most trusted providers of corporate secretary services in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region.
Our team of experienced professionals has helped companies of all sizes to handle their corporate compliance, both locally and internationally.
Local, regional and global expertise
A company secretary with detailed knowledge of the local Singapore regulatory landscape is an invaluable asset to your company. Equally important, however, is an understanding of regional regulations as well as subtle nuances in culture, traditions and customs.
And if your organisation operates beyond Singapore, you also need a company secretary who is familiar with international legal obligations and can work alongside your legal or compliance agent.
Our corporate secretarial team brings together both in-depth local and regional knowledge with international expertise. We can seamlessly guide your company across multiple markets while managing all the cross-border complexities of tax, trade, currency conversion and contractual rules.
Our corporate secretarial services
Whether you are a start-up, a growing private or public listed company, or a multi-national firm establishing a presence in Singapore and abroad, we can look after all your company secretary and corporate governance advisory requirements.
01 Corporate secretarial services
We help your company to comply with local Singapore requirements through a full suite of corporate secretarial services.
We can help with:
02 Governance and regulatory compliance reporting
Stay compliant with every aspect of business regulations, both in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region.
We can help with:
- Advising on and assisting with annual statutory and regulatory compliance obligations in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia
- Securely and properly maintaining statutory registers, minute books and company records
- Reporting any alterations to your company or corporate structure changes to relevant statutory authorities and regulatory bodies accurately and promptly
- Advising and assisting with reporting and compliance requirements relating to the Singapore (SGX), Malaysia (BURSA), Hong Kong (HKEX), China (SSE), and Australia (ASX) stock exchanges
- Preparing board and shareholders’ resolutions
- Attending board and shareholder meetings and preparing minutes
- Advising on, preparing and reviewing the corporate governance reports that form part of an annual report
- Advising on, preparing and lodging annual returns and other requisite filings with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore (ACRA)
- Advising, preparing and releasing company announcements on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX)
03 Corporate Governance Advisory Services
BoardRoom offers a comprehensive range of end-to-end corporate governance advisory services for listed companies in Singapore to ensure that your policies and practices remain relevant and adhere to Listing Rules/Catalist Rules and the Singapore Code of Corporate Governance 2018.
We can help with:
- Performing gap analysis of your company’s corporate governance framework
- Drafting and reviewing the board charter and the terms of reference for board committees
- Drafting and reviewing your company’s Corporate Governance Report to ensure it is compliant and assisting with responses to queries from the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited in relation to the report
- Drafting and reviewing policies, including those on insider trading, board diversity, interested person transactions, whistleblowing, investors relations, sustainability, code of business conduct and ethics
- Restructuring the composition of the board and board committees
- Helping your company to improve its ranking on the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index
- Carrying out the annual performance evaluation of your board, board committees and individual directors; and assisting with the assessment of the results of the evaluation exercises
- Evaluating the independence of proposed independent directors
04 Company cessation and business liquidation services
Closing down your business can be unfortunate, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. We offer advice and assistance to help you effectively manage the company cessation process.
We can help with:
- Deregistering a company
- Striking off a local or foreign company
- Winding up or liquidating a company
- Voluntarily liquidating a company
05 Other corporate secretarial services
No matter your corporate secretarial needs, we are here to help. We also offer a range of ad-hoc services including:
YOUR POINT OF CONTACT
Eunice Hooi
Head of Corporate Secretarial, Singapore
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are corporate secretarial services?
Corporate Secretarial services cover a broad range of categories, ranging from incorporation and registration of a new company to the development of company constitutions and amendments to company resolutions. In short, corporate secretarial services helps to keep your company in check and compliant with local regulations.
2. Are companies incorporated in Singapore required to appoint a company secretary?
All companies that are incorporated in Singapore are required by law to appoint a company secretary within six months from its incorporation date.
Please visit the link for more information on the setting up of company and appointing directors and company secretary.
3. Why should I outsource company secretarial services?
Most businesses in Singapore do not need a full-time secretary, so by outsourcing the role you will be able to save costs while ensuring that your secretarial responsibilities are still being handled by experienced professionals who assist you with compliance and provide practical solutions.
4. How do I incorporate a company in Singapore?
Incorporating or registering a business in Singapore can be a relatively straightforward process. However, the degree of complexity will largely depend on your company structure and intention.
You will need to make decisions on the following:
- Company Name
- Type of Business Activity
- Appointing Directors, Company Secretary and Other Key Personnel
- Share Structure
- Registered Office Address
- Constitution
- Financial Year End
For these reasons and more, many companies choose to outsource their company registration to a firm like BoardRoom.
5. How do I close a company in Singapore?
Essentially, you may close a company by, among others, applying for it to be struck off or liquidating it by way of a member’s voluntary winding up.
We would like to direct you to our article “Closing down a company in Singapore? Here are the three options you have” which is published on our website for fuller details.
6. How to start a company in Singapore for foreigners?
Foreigners can open a company in Singapore almost as easily as a Singapore resident can with minor differences. It is important to note that foreigners must appoint a local Singaporean director and work closely with a registered filing agent to register their company.
Another challenge is in setting it up correctly – especially as a foreigner without any understanding of the tax and legal systems. This is why many foreigners who set up a business in Singapore choose to do so with the help of a corporate secretarial firm, like BoardRoom.
7. What is the role of a company secretary?
The company secretary is appointed by the board of directors of a company. A company secretary is an officer of a company who is responsible for ensuring that companies comply with the relevant statutory obligations and good corporate governance is observed.
The principal roles of a company secretary are as follows:
- maintaining the statutory books and records
- safekeeping the company’s legal documents
- convening meetings of directors and shareholders
- lodge and file in time all necessary documents required by law
- ensure that the company meets all its statutory and regulatory obligations
8. Why is BoardRoom the preferred corporate secretarial agent?
Professional corporate secretarial services dispensed by BoardRoom can help you navigate the challenges and changes by alleviating your administrative burden, thereby allowing you to focus on the running of your business.
By working hand-in-hand with your other advisers, our professional team will be by your side at every step of the way to deliver sound and practical guidance, allowing you to focus on your operations and potential opportunities. As market leaders in this area, we have streamlined processes that allow us to prepare corporate documents and incorporate entities quickly, efficiently and seamlessly.
Should you require any further information or if you wish to incorporate a company and would like further advice, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
9. What is corporate governance?
Corporate governance is the framework guiding an organisation’s oversight, operations, and management. It shapes behaviour, promotes ethical decisions, and ensures accountability, transparency, and integrity. It outlines how the organisations function, interact with stakeholders, and make crucial decisions, establishing checks and balances for responsible conduct.
Find out more on the “Best Practices for a Robust Corporate Governance Framework”.
10. Does BoardRoom provide corporate governance advisory and assessment services?
Yes, BoardRoom offers a comprehensive range of end-to-end corporate governance advisory services such as gap analysis, drafting of policies, SGTI ranking, and restructuring of board and board committees.
Find out more on BoardRoom’s corporate governance and advisory services. Feel free to get in touch with us if you require further information.