A private secretary is expected, if necessary, to sacrifice his personal interest for his employer.”

A private secretary is a senior position in a company or public organisation, normally in the form of a managerial position or above. In the United States it is known as a corporate secretary. The Private Secretary is responsible for the efficient administration of a company, particularly with regard to ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and for ensuring that decisions of the Board of Directors are implemented.

Despite the name, the role is not a clerical or secretarial one in the usual sense.

The private secretary ensures that an organization complies with relevant legislation and regulation, and keeps board members informed of their legal responsibilities. Private Secretaries are the company’s named representative on legal documents, and it is their responsibility to ensure that the company and its directors operate within the law. It is also their responsibility to register and communicate with shareholders, to ensure that dividends are paid and to maintain company records, such as lists of directors and shareholders, and annual accounts.

In many countries, private companies have traditionally been required by law to appoint one person as a private secretary, and this person will also usually be a senior board member.

You could incur fines or even criminal charges for failure to file the Annual Return. You could, potentially, be disqualified , prosecuted or made liable for company debts if the law is broken. You could be subject to criminal proceedings, if the company trades fraudulently, or if company funds are misappropriated. If you are also a director, you could be held personally liable for the company's debts, if there has been wrongful trading. Failure to ensure that the directors are acting properly in the conduct of the business could leave you with personal responsibility for its debts.