Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators

The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) is an international professional membership body and a recognised authority on corporate governance.

History

The organisation was founded in 1891 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1902. The initial object of the Institute of Secretaries was the development of the profession of company secretary and the creation of high standards in the Profession. Membership was limited to those successful in the examinations and those who demonstrated the standard of experience set by the Institute.

In 1902, coincident with receiving its Royal Charter, the Institute changed its name to the Chartered Institute of Secretaries of Joint Stock Companies and Other Public Bodies. In practice, as ICSA grew, its membership has reflected the administrative function in many types of corporate body such as educational institutions, charities and hospitals. In 1971 this wider role was recognised formally by an amendment to the Institute's Charter which gave it the name of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Profile

There are two classes of membership of the Institute, Fellows and Associates. All qualified members of the Institute are entitled to describe themselves as Chartered Secretaries and use the post-nominals, FCIS or ACIS as appropriate. Fellowship is the senior grade of membership. Another grade, Grad ICSA, comprises those who have successfully completed the examinations but have not yet gained sufficient qualifying service for Associateship. Students have the option of distance learning or going to college or university in order to qualify. The ICSA's International qualification is recognised in over 70 countries; in some jurisdictions, Associateship or Fellowship in the ICSA is one of the legislatively allowed credentials to be company secretary in a publicly-traded company.

Chartered Secretaries work in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors as company or corporate secretaries, general counsel and other senior positions. In addition, some of the Institute's members hold practice certificates, entitling them to be Chartered Secretaries in public practice, and provide company secretarial services on a contractual basis to a wide range of organizations.

Working with government and other statutory bodies, ICSA promotes and supports best practice in corporate governance in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Since 2006 the Institute has been working closely with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the implementation of the Companies Act 2006 and has recently contributed to the Financial Reporting Council's review of the Combined Code and Sir David Walker's review of corporate governance in the banking sector. The Institute has also been active in the European Union, assisting with the development of common governance regulations.

ICSA regularly publishes guidance notes which focus on the practical aspects of legislation and has several subsidiary companies through which it provides software, books, training, conferences, recruitment and board evaluation.

ICSA Recruitment specialises in executive search, advertised selection and contingency recruitment for permanent, temporary and interim company secretarial and related roles at all levels globally.

Education

In the UK, the ICSA offers several paths to membership. Generally, an individual with no university degree begins by taking the Certificate and Diploma in Business Practice or Offshore Finance and Administration, and progresses to the International Qualifying Scheme (IQS), which has two levels. Those with degrees may, upon approval, proceed directly to the IQS. Some Divisions (see below) do not offer the Certificate and Diploma Programmes; entrants to the IQS must have suitable academic credentials. The Institute does not recognize experience as equivalent to a degree, and does not conduct prior learning assessment.

Students may move from Division to Division between courses in the IQS. Because of this international portability, and the portability of the designations themselves, the ICSA maintains a strict review and monitoring regime of each Division's implementation of the educational programmes. In addition to supporting portability, this process also helps ensure quality.

In 2011 the IQS scheme will change to the CSQS (Chartered Secretaries Qualifying Scheme).

Divisions

Divisions are substantially autonomous operations located in a variety of countries around the world. They offer the Institute's educational programme and admit members to the international register in their respective territories. Headquartered in London, the ICSA has members and students in more than 70 countries worldwide, and Divisions in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and Zimbabwe. ICSA has 36,000 members in the United Kingdom, and some 15,000 students worldwide.

See also

• Institute of Business Administration and Management
• Chartered Secretaries New Zealand

External links

• ICSA Official Site
• New Zealand Division
• Southern African Division
• Canadian Division
• Australian Division
• China Division
• Malaysia Division
• Singapore Division
• Zimbabwe Division
• ICSA Recruitment