EA to General Counsel & Company Secretary
An exciting vacancy has arisen for an EA to General Counsel & Company Secretary (GC) to join the team at Great Portland Estates plc (GPE) for a 12-month fixed term contract.
GPE is a highly respected central London property investment and development company quoted on the London Stock Exchange. The Company, which employs around 145 people, owns around £2.5 billion of real estate – primarily commercial but also retail; and a small amount of residential - 100% in central London with a rent roll of approx. £100 million per annum. The business focuses on acquiring, managing and repositioning properties – to unlock their full potential and value.
At GPE, we genuinely believe that diversity gives us strength, but we know this strength is only fully realised if our environment is truly inclusive. Our culture is grounded in genuine and mutual respect, and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We hire talented, unique individuals who are encouraged to collaborate, be their authentic selves and they support their colleagues to do the same.
Legal & Company Secretariat is a very fast paced, small but busy team with a high standard approach to everything they undertake. An important part of the role involves regular interaction with GPE’s Board of Directors and senior executives.
Main Responsibilities:
1. Diary management
o Assist in managing the GC’s diary, organising meetings for team members and booking rooms
o Schedule Board, Board Committee and Executive Committee meetings as required, liaising with internal and external teams
o Schedule meetings for the Chair and Non-Executive Directors as required
o Organise Board dinners (4 to 5 per annum) – coordinating venues, menus etc
o Organise the Non-Executive/Management Engagement meetings
o Organise the wider company NED engagement lunch sessions
o Prepare draft induction schedules for new Board members and schedule induction meetings
o Booking venues for half year and year end results announcement presentations and the GPE’s Annual General Meeting
2. Board, Executive Committee and Joint Venture papers
o Work with GC to plan the Board and committee dates, two years in advance
o Prepare first draft Board, Board Committee and Executive Committee agendas
o Collate, upload and distribute packs (via Diligent Boardbooks) and relevant papers for:
o the Board and Board Committees (Audit, Nomination and Remuneration) which meet monthly
o the Executive Committee which meets fortnightly
o Liaise with both internal and external teams to ensure that all papers are received in a timely manner;
o Executive Committee meetings: Annual Executive Committee Planner, prioritise agenda items, diarise attendance of individuals sponsoring papers and update all matters arising
3. Document preparation and signature
o Support the team with the preparation of documents, including formatting in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Typing of general correspondence, emails, incorporating all of the GPE corporate templates and adhering to the Company’s strict identity guidelines.
o Arrange for document signatures when needed, including electronically via DocuSign
4. Company Secretarial Support
o Assist with statutory recordkeeping (including through Diligent Entities), the provision of documents in response to auditor requests and circulation of annual audit information request letters to external law firms
o Assist with statutory compliance and the filing of confirmation statements, accounts and other documents with Companies House
o Support the subsidiary statutory accounts process, including preparation of draft approval minutes, scheduling board meetings and arranging signature of documents
o Prepare first drafts of, and arrange release of, stock exchange announcements (Directors’ share dealing, SIP purchases and Major shareholder notifications) and making associated notifications to the Financial Conduct Authority
o Maintain key registers - the employee share dealing approvals, Directors’ share interests, PCA and conflicts of interest registers,
o Support with GPE’s insider list processes
o Assist with preparation and distribution of documents (including mail merges) for share scheme awards and vestings and share scheme administration
o Support with the preparation of internal and external audit performance evaluations, including creating and circulating questionnaires via Survey Monkey and collating results
o Ad hoc support
5. Legal
o Supporting the Deputy General Counsel with the management of the Gifts & Hospitality register and approvals process
o Planning and scheduling risk review meetings ahead of half year and year end
o Document preparation and amendments
o Annual D&O insurance confirmation e-mails to Directors
o Arrange and circulate emails internal compliance reviews and collate responses
o Manage the annual Bribery Act agent and broker compliance process
o Support with filing of CCTV release forms
6. AGM Support (July)
o Assist with Board Meeting preparation
o Arrange logistics, venue management, room set-up, managing external providers
o Arrange the post-AGM lunch for the Board with advisers, including venue booking, menu selections etc and liaising with internal and external guests
o Assist with Companies house filings post-AGM
o Filing correspondence and keeping the system orderly and up to date and archiving where necessary
o Supporting with the team with invoice approvals
o Maintaining secretarial cover during working hours, including covering for others where necessary
o Opening and distributing team post. Replying to invitations and drafting replies as necessary
o Collating and inputting of expenses for the GC and the Non-Executive Directors
Experience required
* 3+ years’ experience in a EA role, ideally within a Legal/Cosec team
* Experience of working in professional/technically orientated organisations.
* Experience working with Directors and Executives
* Predominantly commercial organisational experience (PLC environment preferred but not essential);
* Experience of working in a fast paced environment (smaller organisational experience preferred).
* Advanced Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint skills;
* Prior experience of Diligent Boardbooks, Diligent Entities, Docusign and Survey Monkey is helpful
* Document proof reading (document drafting desirable).
Personal attributes
* Preparedness to ‘go the extra mile’ in order to meet the needs of the business;
* Organisation and control - Strong work planning and organisational skills with the ability to handle a large and varied workload; plan ahead but also prioritise and flex according to circumstances and complete work to tight deadlines;
* Excellent attention to detail and accuracy at all times;
* Relationship management - Outgoing and friendly and builds warm, positive relationships with others both inside and outside the business;
* Emotional intelligence - Ability to remain calm and unflappable in pressured situations with confidence to manage upwards and challenge appropriately
* Ability to handle private and confidential information with discretion and diligence
* A continuous improvement mind-set – constantly looks for ways to deliver the best possible service and open to developmental feedback
Live by our Company Values
* We achieve more together
* We are committed to excellence
* We are fair and inclusive
* We embrace opportunity
Seniority level
* Associate
Employment type
* Full-time
Job function
* Administrative
* Industries: Legal Services
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