SLID Webinar on Company Secretary in the Digital Age

The Board Secretaries Forum of The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID) together with their strategic partner – the Institute of Chartered Corporate Secretaries of Sri Lanka (ICCSSL) recently organized a webinar on “The Company Secretary in the Digital Age” to share experiences on how digital innovation is helping the Company Secretary to be more efficient and effective.

The webinar was moderated by S. Sudarshan – Chair of the SLID Board Secretaries Forum and Deputy President of the ICCSL while the keynote was delivered by Nisha Najumudeen – former Company Secretary of Seylan Bank PLC. Naomal Goonawardena – Precedent partner of Nithya Partners together with Sunil G. Wijesinha – Director of BizEX Consulting (Pvt) Ltd and Chairman of many public companies were the expert panellists.

Introducing the topic, S. Sudarshan said that the Company Secretary’s work related to administrative responsibilities used to consume a significant amount of time which reduced the capability to focus on important areas such as strategy, research, problem solving, and representation and coordination of company matters. “The opening represented by technological advancements offers the opportunity to manage the ever-increasing governance challenges and compliance requirements faced by all organizations. Through digitalization I believe that the company secretary can discontinue certain traditional office work mechanisms and implement digital services. Digitalization has undoubtedly changed the way Corporate Secretaries work, both in scope and execution. As Boards go digital, corporate secretaries must work closely and ensure a seamless transition.”

In her keynote, Nisha Najumudeen said “individuals like me who began our careers in the ‘80s have seen how the work that we have been doing has evolved beyond recognition over the 3 decades due to technological development and rapid digitalization. Automation enabled me to perform my duties with ease. Technology has become pervasive, and digitalization is an indispensable element for any professional and company secretaries are no exception.”