Deputy Company Secretary

YouGov PLC; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

YouGov PLC in London seeks a Deputy Company Secretary to support governance, compliance and entity oversight across a global group. You will work with Legal, Finance, Investor Relations and external providers to uphold governance frameworks and ensure statutory compliance.

Essential experience includes listed-plc governance, AIM/Main Market obligations, multi-jurisdictional entity management and managing an entity management system.

Qualifications

• Chartered Governance Institute qualified, or a qualified solicitor/barrister with listed-plc company secretarial experience.
• Experience of AIM or Main Market obligations, including AIM Rules and UK MAR disclosure.
• Track record of servicing a plc board, committees, annual report and AGM.

Responsibilities

• Own governance calendar, agendas, papers, minutes and action logs for PLC governance.
• Maintain director conflicts register, induction and training; support board appointments and succession planning.
• Oversee governance policies, delegated authorities and matters reserved for board/committees.
• Manage AIM Rules, QCA Code compliance statements, and UK MAR disclosures; oversee insider lists.
• Release results via RNS and monitor shareholdings; handle dealing clearance and PDMR/PCA notifications.
• Own annual report governance, AGM notices, resolutions, registrar, proxies and voting results.
• Oversee share capital, share plans, EBT governance and related AIM notifications.
• Manage group/entity management system as single source of truth; maintain structure chart and data.

Skills

Chartered Governance Institute

Listed plc governance experience

AIM/Main Market obligations knowledge

Shareholder governance

Entity management systems

Education

Chartered Governance Institute qualification / solicitor or barrister

Tools

Entity management system

Job description

Reporting to the General Counsel & Company Secretary , the Deputy Company Secretary works to support the governance of the PLC and act as formal deputy on Company Secretarial matters. The role will help ensure effective corporate governance, statutory compliance and subsidiary oversight across a global group of more than 60 entities operating in over 45 countries. Working with Legal, Finance, Investor Relations, regional stakeholders and external providers, the Deputy Company Secretary will maintain robust governance frameworks and entity management processes, while upholding the principle that the Company Secretariat owns governance, compliance and legal form, providing oversight and assurance over activities carried out by the business.

Key accountabilities — PLC governance:

• Board and committees Own the board and committee calendar, agendas, papers, minutes and action logs.
• Own the board portal, with Technology supporting the platform.
• Maintain the directors' conflicts register and lead director induction and training.
• Run the governance aspects of board appointments, and support board evaluation and succession planning for the Chair and Nomination Committee.
• Own governance policies: dealing code, delegated authorities, matters reserved for the board and committee terms of reference.
• AIM, UK MAR and market disclosure Manage the Nominated Adviser relationship and advise on compliance with the AIM Rules for Companies.
• Own the QCA Corporate Governance Code compliance statement and AIM Rule 26 website disclosures.
• Run inside information assessment and insider lists, working with Legal.
• Release results and trading updates via RNS (Finance owns content).
• Monitor AIM Rule 17 significant shareholdings and analyse the shareholder register.
• Own dealing clearance and PDMR/PCA notifications under Article 19 of UK MAR.
• Annual report and AGM Own the governance and committee reports in the annual report, and check the directors' remuneration report.
• Own the AGM: notice, resolutions, registrar, proxies and voting results.
• Share capital and share plans (shareholder- and regulator-facing elements only) Own Remuneration Committee papers, minutes and grant resolutions.
• Draft and maintain plan rules and run shareholder approvals.
• Own share issues and EBT transfers on vesting, block listings and related AIM notifications.
• Own EBT governance and trustee liaison.
• Manage allotment authorities, buybacks and the dividend process, following Finance's distributable reserves confirmation.
• Statutory compliance for the plc Own the plc's Companies House filings, including identity verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Key accountabilities — Group and subsidiary governance Key accountabilities — Group and subsidiary governance:

• Framework, data and systems Own the entity management system as the group's single source of truth (local providers keep records updated).
• Own the group structure chart and legal entity master data, consulting Finance on tax and ERP.
• Own seals, constitutional documents and records retention.
• Own beneficial ownership registers in each country (PSC in the UK, UBO elsewhere).
• Subsidiary governance Work closely with Legal on the following:
• Subsidiary governance standards and annual attestations from local directors.
• Subsidiary director appointments and resignations, triggered by HR when a director joins, leaves or changes role.
• Subsidiary board meetings and resolutions, delivered by local directors or providers.
• Maintain the group delegated authority framework and powers of attorney (Finance is accountable for financial limits).
• Approval of subsidiary dividends and capital repatriation following Finance's distributable reserves confirmation.
• Entity lifecycle Work closely with Legal on incorporations, dissolutions and restructurings once Finance has approved the business case and tax analysis.
• Statutory compliance and provider management Own statutory filings, annual returns and registered office arrangements, delivered by local providers.
• Manage local provider arrangements under a framework contract, with service levels and a shared compliance calendar.
• Ensure provider service levels are managed centrally.
• Ensure hand-off triggers from HR, Finance, Technology and Legal operate as designed, holding other functions to the required outputs and deadlines.

Person specification

• Essential Chartered Governance Institute qualified, or a qualified solicitor/barrister with substantial listed-plc company secretarial experience.
• Experience of AIM or Main Market obligations, including the AIM Rules, QCA Code and UK MAR disclosure processes.
• Track record of servicing a plc board and committees, the annual report and the AGM.
• Working knowledge of share capital and employee share plan mechanics, including EBTs and block listings.
• Experience overseeing multi-jurisdictional entity management, including managing outsourced corporate services providers.
• Experience implementing or operating an entity management system.
• Able to hold Finance, HR and Technology colleagues to the agreed RACI and hand-off