In India there is a professional body named as The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). The ICSI conducts the Company Secretary course. In order to become a Company Secretary, the candidates need to qualify themselves in the Foundation Programme, the Executive Programme, and the Professional Programmer. The candidates need to go through practical training to qualify for the membership as a Company Secretary. The corporate secretary’s responsibility is to make sure that the Board has the appropriate guidance and resources for releasing its fiduciary duty under state law, and to guarantee that the records of the Board’s actions reveal that the Board has completed their work in time.

Company Secretary Course and opportunities

Training for the CS course is provided through the materials provided through post, some training sessions and regular exams conducted by ICSI. Candidates who have completed their 12th standard can apply for the foundation course. Those who are pursuing graduation course or completed graduation course can appear for the intermediate course. Candidates who have completed ICWA course or any other course under ICSI can directly join for the executive course. On completion of the executive course the candidates can pursue the final course. Opportunities are available in various private companies and consulting firm.

Corporate Secretary course and opportunities

The Corporate Secretary is required to provide guidance on areas related to corporate governance to the senior members of the organisation. To the join the Corporate Secretary course, the candidate should have a minimum of 50% marks in M.Com. Career opportunities are available in areas like stock exchange, banks. Wwith experience and proficiency, the aspirant can raise to top positions like the chairman, director or managing director in prominent organizations.

Key differentiators between the two courses

A corporate secretary is a business professional who administers a number of crucial tasks in the ongoing life of a company whilst a company secretary is a professional whose role is that of an advisor for legal matters. The functions of the corporate secretary are very wide and involve the need to exercise considerable authority in a wide range of tasks. Both the Company Secretary and the Corporate Secretary are very important members of the corporate management team. While the former assists the efficient management of a corporate body, the latter is an expert in business supervision.