Irish Region
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Charities Update - October 2018
23 October 2018
An update on developments at the Office of the Charities Regulator, the Code of Governance for Charities and Charities Statement of Recommended Practice. Read more
Next Generation Governance Report
11 October 2018
On 27 September, ICSA published a new research report called ‘Next Generation Governance’ which gives some fascinating insights into the differences – and similarities – in how different generations of governance professionals think about their role. Read more
IAASA Annual Observations document
24 September 2018
The Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) has recently published its annual 'Observations' document. Read more
Filing the Annual Return (B1)
29 August 2018
With the annual return filing season now upon us, we highlight some important points to remember. Read more
Have you ever thought of becoming a Company Secretary?
16 August 2018
This week saw the publication of the Leaving Certificate results. But how many students will be thinking of a career as a company secretary? Here we republish a careers blog that we issued a few years back as its ever more relevant today with demand for company secretaries and governance professionals far outstripping supply. Read more
Rectification of the Register of Members
25 July 2018
A note on updating the Register of Members in the context of the Companies Act 2014 and a recent court case. Read more
Companies Registration Office Report 2017
05 July 2018
The Companies Registration Office report for 2017 has just been published. Read more
Record numbers attend 2018 Annual Conference
22 May 2018
The 2018 annual conference was held on 17 May in the Printworks, Dublin Castle, a previous home of the Companies Registration Office. This year saw our biggest ever attendance with the numbers of delegates and sponsors exceeding numbers from previous years. Read more
Dómhnal Slattery: ‘I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of boards’
30 April 2018
The keynote speaker at this year’s Governance Ireland Conference and CEO of Avolon discusses what makes an effective board, how quality non-executives should be active but not invasive, and how to get corporate culture right. Read more
ICSA responds to FRC consultation on Combined Code
21 March 2018
ICSA: The Governance Institute has responded to the proposed changes to the Combined Code. Read more
Slides now available from CPD event on Audit Committees
08 March 2018
We held our second CPD event of the year on Audit Committees on Tuesday 6th March in KPMG Dublin. For more details please read on..... Read more
CPD Event on Board Effectiveness and Culture- slides now available
22 February 2018
The slides from our very first CPD event of the year held in Deloitte on Tuesday 6th February are now available. Read more about the event below:. Read more
Commencement of Section 80 of Companies (Accounting) Act 2017
16 February 2018
The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Ms Heather Humphreys, T.D., in exercise of the powers conferred on her by section 1(2) of the Companies (Accounting) Act 2017 (No. 9 of 2017) has made the order appointing 09 June 2018 as the day on which section 80 of the Companies (Accounting) Act 2017 (No. 9 of 2017) comes into operation. Read more
Charity Code of Governance
18 December 2017
At a time when there is greater focus on the charities sector in Ireland, we asked Louise Thomson FCIS, Head of Policy (Not for Profit) at ICSA:The Governance Institute to share her thoughts with us following her membership of a discussion panel at the recent Charities Institute Ireland Conference held in Dublin. Read more
Measures to enhance Ireland's corporate, economic and regulatory framework
10 November 2017
The recent publication by the Government of the above framework to tackle white collar crime has created much debate and discussion in the past week. Read more
Helen Dixon speaks to Chartered Secretaries in Dublin on the General Data Protection Regulation
20 October 2017
Speaking today at an event organised by the Irish Region of ICSA: The Governance Institute, at the offices of William Fry in Dublin, Helen Dixon, FCIS, Data Protection Commissioner said that a key challenge for company secretaries and others involved in managing personal data will be recognising whether their role comprises being a ‘data controller’. Read more
Company Secretary and the Audit Process
08 August 2017
While much is written about the value company secretaries offer to board and management, there is less awareness of the multiple ways in which they can specifically support the work of financial directors and auditors. Read more
Dynamic initiative to boost governance in the charity sector
08 July 2017
Governance and compliance are sometimes seen as being solely concerned with big business, so much so that when we think of the necessity for proper management and regulation, or the consequences of a failure to implement such. Read more
Insights into the career of a Company Secretary
09 May 2017
Robert Walters recently hosted ICSA Ireland’s Student & Careers Evening. With insights into the diverse role of the company secretary from members in practice and those working in-house, a presentation on networking skills and career advice on how to navigate the recruitment process from the CV to the interview, the evening was a huge success. Read more
Company Law & Regulatory Committee
14 December 2016
The inaugural meeting of the Company Law & Regulatory Committee has been held and the Terms of Reference can be downloaded here. If members have issues that could be considered by the Committee, please email them to scolfer@bdo.ie. Read more
Consultation on a Review of the Industrial & Provident Societies Acts 1893 to 2014
12 December 2016
The Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation has launched a consultation on a review of the Industrial & Provident Societies Acts 1893 to 2014 and a link to that consultation is below. https://www.djei.ie/en/Consultations/Public-Consultation-Industrial-and-Provident-Societies-Acts-1893-2014.html# The Company Law & Regulatory Committee is available to assist any members who would like to raise issues on any aspect of. Read more
Companies Act 2014: End of Transition Period
18 November 2016
The transition period for re-registering existing private companies to a LTD or a DAC expires on Wednesday 30 November 2016. The failure by the directors of a company to take steps to re-register is a breach of their statutory duty, notwithstanding the fact that if no action is taken, a company will automatically convert to a LTD. Read more
The art of taking minutes
04 November 2016
Writing minutes can be a daunting, deceptively difficult and time-consuming task, yet people often find themselves called upon to take minutes, with little training or guidance to support them. Given their importance as the definitive record of an organisation’s highest decision-making body – the board –, it is important to get them right. ICSA has…. Read more
We want to hear from you
21 September 2016
Salvador Nash represents the Institute on the Company Law Review Group, the statutory advisory expert body charged with advising the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on the review and development of company law in Ireland. Read more
Corporate culture and the role of boards
09 September 2016
There needs to be a concerted effort to improve trust in the motivations and integrity of business,’ says Chairman of the UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Sir Winfried Bischoff in his foreword to the FRC’s report looking at corporate culture and the role of boards. Read more
New Market Abuse Regime
29 June 2016
On 3 July 2016, the existing Irish laws and regulations governing “market abuse” (consisting of insider dealing, market manipulation and the unlawful disclosure of inside information) will be replaced with a new regime. Read more
Brexit – Where does Ireland stand?
02 June 2016
With Britain’s referendum on EU membership less than a month away, there is no shortage of economic reports and high profile figures warning of the dire consequences that could follow a vote to leave. Read more
The biggest event for governance professionals in Ireland
10 May 2016
The annual ICSA Ireland Conference is long established as the key opportunity of the year for companies to access all of the latest global research, expertise and emerging insights that are transforming the areas of corporate governance and compliance and reshaping the work of the company secretary. In the midst of a period of significant…. Read more
Data Protection - A Matter of Trust
12 April 2016
“The digital future of Europe,” Andrus Ansip, Vice President for the Digital Single Market noted in December 2015, “can only be built on trust.” His comments crowned four years of intense negotiation, the result of which is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), expected to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council in... Read more
Conversion under Companies Act 2014 – Have you converted yet?
07 April 2016
One of the main innovations of the Companies Act 2014 (“the Act”) was the introduction of changes to a number of existing company types. Chief amongst these changes was the introduction of two new Company types the “Limited” (LTD) and the “Designated Activity Company” (DAC). All existing companies currently registered as a private company limited…. Read more
2016 a significant year for Irish companies
02 February 2016
From a corporate governance and compliance standpoint, 2016 will be a significant year for Irish companies. With the economy growing strongly and records for 2015 showing the highest level of new company registrations since the onset of the recession, there is plenty of reason for optimism across the corporate landscape. Yet the legal and regulatory…. Read more
Clarity around charity
07 January 2016
The Christmas break gave me a chance to have another look at an aspect of the Companies Act 2014 that I find intriguing as I’m finding it hard to understand the thinking behind it. The Act provides that a Designated Activity Company (DAC) and a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) can be exempt from the…. Read more
A mystery solved
24 November 2015
What does a chartered secretary do? A dentist ‘does’ teeth. A doctor ‘does’ medicine. An architect ‘does’ houses. But what does a chartered secretary do? If only I had a cent for every time I have been asked that question, I would be very well off by now! And what answer do I normally give? I say ‘it’s complicated’. Read more
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ICSA Graduation Day
19 November 2015
Back in the day it was said that praise from Caesar was praise indeed. The origin of the phrase goes back to the times when Caesar ruled most of the known world and therefore to be complimented by him was one the greatest honours possible. We might not have any latter day Caesars at ICSA,…. Read more
Audit Exemptions
21 October 2015
Smaller companies may have rejoiced when they saw that according to the new Companies Act 2014 they might be able to save the cost of an annual audit, subject to meeting certain (not too onerous) conditions. However saving an audit fee might cost a company far more in the longer term. Read more
Some lesser spotted details in Companies Act 2014
09 September 2015
Much has been written about and commented upon both on this website and at the ICSA conference about the profound changes brought on by the new Companies Act 2014 (the Act). Once the dust has settled, I’m sure that members will agree that if not perfect (can it ever be?) the new Act is definitely…. Read more
Could you convince someone to become a company secretary?
20 August 2015
Last Wednesday, August 12th, was the day the Leaving Cert results came out. But how many students will be thinking of a career as a company secretary? Probably not many because our profession is one of those hidden gems (or we think so anyway!) that far more people would take up if only they know…. Read more
Conference lays to rest worries about CRO deadlines
01 June 2015
We had a great question and answer session at the ICSA Annual Conference that followed on from an excellent and really detailed presentation from Maureen O’Sullivan, Registrar of Companies at Companies Registration Office (CRO), just one of a series of really informative sessions at this year’s annual ‘bash’. One thing that is noticeable about ICSA…. Read more
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The company secretary – referee or player?
16 March 2015
Our colleagues in the UK have a very useful document that is essential reading for all company secretaries. The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) guidance on board effectiveness defines the role of the board as providing “entrepreneurial leadership of the company within a framework of prudent and effective controls which enables risk to be assessed…. Read more
A big ask of the new Companies' Registrar
06 March 2015
Our heartiest congratulations to the new Company Registrar, Maureen O’Sullivan, for taking on the role that will include implementing some of the biggest company law reforms we’ve seen since the foundation of the State. Adopting the old adage of ‘be careful what you ask for’ we know that this is a big task, and…. Read more
Time to embrace the Whistleblower
23 February 2015
‘Whistleblower’ is a term I’m not particularly fond of. It can evoke negative connotations of school tell-tales and those informers we learned about in Irish history. Perhaps the term is part of the problem, but people generally often have very mixed emotions when it comes to considering whistleblowers. You would imaging they should be regarded…. Read more
New company loan rules
17 February 2015
Company secretaries need to make company directors aware of new rules regarding the taking of loans from companies – these rules are part of some significant changes being made within the Companies Act 2014, that becomes law in June 2015. For example directors need to know that the terms of any such transactions need to…. Read more
The new Companies Act means business
05 February 2015
There are up to 500,000 company directorships that will be affected by the provisions of the new Companies Act 2014 when it comes into force in June. The Act doesn’t pull its punches either, specifying fines of up to €500,000 fine and or imprisonment for not more than 10 years depending on the gravity of…. Read more
In charities we (should) trust
04 February 2015
We trust banks with our money. We trust lawyers are giving us the best advice. We trust the local shop that the bread they sell us is safe to eat. Trust is fundamental to everything we do. And when trust breaks down there can be a myriad of consequences. This in turn can lead to…. Read more
Companies Act 2014 - the future is here
28 January 2015
With commencement in June 2015, the Act represents the most significant overhaul of Irish company law in fifty years and consolidates primary and secondary legislation into one single Companies Act. While largely a consolidation Bill, the Companies Act 2014 does contain radical reforms, the most ambitious of which is to place private companies at the…. Read more
Companies Act 2014 'won't cost business' - not true
15 January 2015
Yesterday morning’s national newspapers carry an ad from the Companies Registration Office (CRO) announcing the commencement of the new Companies Act 2014 from the 1st June 2015. The ad states that it will ‘simplify company law’, ’ensure good governance’ and ‘reduce administrative burden on business’. While this is the case in general for the day…. Read more
