Governance and company secretarial expectations continue to rise as boards continue to seek greater transparency and oversight. Regulators are demanding higher standards of compliance and accountability, and transformation programs, transactions and organisational change all require governance teams to play a more strategic role than ever before.
Yet while responsibilities are increasing, resources often are not. For many governance and company secretarial teams, this has created a growing challenge: how do you continue to deliver effective governance when the demands on your team are expanding faster than your capacity?
The governance challenge has evolved
Traditionally, governance functions have largely focused on ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and supporting board processes. Today, the role is much broader.
Governance teams are expected to support organisational growth, manage increasingly complex stakeholder expectations, oversee governance frameworks, respond to regulatory developments and provide strategic advice to boards and executives.
While at the same time, organisations continue to face pressure to control costs and improve efficiency. The result is a governance function that is being asked to do more than ever before, often without a corresponding increase in headcount.
Capacity is becoming as important as capability
When governance teams become stretched the issue rarely comes down to expertise. Most organisations already have highly capable governance professionals in place. The challenge is often having sufficient capacity available at the right time.
Governance and company secretarial workloads don’t follow predictable patterns. A transaction may require additional governance oversight, a regulatory change may create new compliance obligations, and large transformation activities can place significant demands on governance teams that are already managing considerable business-as-usual activities.
In these situations, organisations often find themselves facing a difficult choice: absorb the additional workload internally or recruit permanent resources to address what may ultimately be a temporary need. Neither approach is always the right fit.
Rethinking the traditional hiring model
Historically for many organisations, the only solution for effectively managing an increase in workload has been to hire more staff. While permanent hiring remains important, today's governance and company secretarial leaders are increasingly considering whether every challenge requires a permanent solution.
Recruiting experienced governance and company secretarial professionals can be time-consuming, costly and competitive. More importantly, some governance demands are short-term, project-based or linked to specific periods of organisational change.
A transformation program may run for twelve months. A transaction may require additional support for several months. Periods of leave or unexpected turnover create temporary resource gaps that may not justify long-term recruitment. As a result, many organisations are exploring more flexible ways to access governance expertise when and where it is required.
The rise of flexible governance support
Across many corporate functions, organisations are increasingly adopting more flexible operating models and governance is no exception.
Rather than relying solely on permanent headcount, many organisations are supplementing internal capability with experienced governance professionals who can work alongside existing teams during periods of increased demand.
This approach provides access to specialist expertise and additional capacity while allowing organisations to maintain ownership of their governance framework, processes and decision-making. Importantly, it also helps preserve continuity.
Rather than diverting attention away from strategic priorities, governance leaders can access support that enables their teams to remain focused on delivering outcomes while maintaining governance standards.
Governance resilience is becoming a competitive advantage
As governance and company secretarial requirements become more sophisticated, the ability to adapt is becoming increasingly important. The most effective governance functions are not necessarily the largest. They are often the teams that can respond quickly to changing business needs, access expertise when required and maintain governance effectiveness regardless of shifting workloads.
That requires a different way of thinking about resourcing. Instead of viewing capability as something that only exists within the boundaries of a permanent team, organisations are beginning to view governance expertise as a resource that can be accessed more flexibly.
This enables governance leaders to respond to changing demands with greater confidence while maintaining appropriate oversight, compliance and risk management.
Looking ahead
The pressures facing governance teams are unlikely to diminish. Regulatory requirements and stakeholder expectations will continue to evolve, organisations will continue to pursue growth, transformation and operational efficiency. Against this backdrop, governance leaders are asking an increasingly important question:
Do we need more people, or do we need better access to expertise?
For many organisations, the answer is not necessarily expanding permanent headcount. It is creating a model that combines internal capability with the flexibility to access additional support when circumstances require it.
Because effective governance is no longer just about having the right expertise. It’s about having access to it when it matters most.
