General Counsel / Company Secretary
TreattJob title: General Counsel / Company Secretary
Reporting to: CEO
Location: Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk (Hybrid working opportunities available)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
The Opportunity
Responsible for the provision and delivery of the secretariat function ensuring high levels of service in providing a range of Company Secretarial, Governance and Regulatory services and ensuring compliance with our legal, governance and regulatory obligations.
Key member of the Executive Committee in supporting the regional leadership, setting aside functional bias to ensure the Group meets its overarching objectives.
What it’s like to work here
We’ve been making the world taste better since 1886 and sell over 3000 products in more than 90 countries, but we’re only just getting started. We’re on an exciting journey and have ambitious plans to become the indispensable partner of choice for the world’s leading flavour and fragrance houses, beverage and consumer brands. You can find out more about our exciting organisation here: TREATT | About Treatt the trusted global ingredients manufacturer
On joining Treatt, you’ll become one of over 400 international experts, working together to collectively surprise and delight our customers. Nothing is more important to us than the happiness of our people as without them, we’d never succeed.
We think Treatt’s a great place to work, but don’t just take our word for it:
“Everyone wants your feedback and opinion; it feels like a place of study where nurturing and encouragement are the standard. It is very clear the hard work that goes into providing excellence for customers, but it is also very apparent that managers have the same goals for helping us all to progress.” – Anita, Quality Analyst
“Joining my close and supportive team was the most enjoyable way to gain more skills and increase my knowledge” – Ashley, Distillation Control Team Leader
“Treatt creates an environment to help you be the best you can, with no two days the same and opportunities always available to help you learn and develop. The people and the culture create a fantastic company to be part of” – Rebecca, Customer Care Team Leader
What you’ll be doing
The responsibilities of this role include but are not limited to:
GENERAL COUNSEL
- Provide general legal support and advice to Group companies
- Draft, review and advise on legal agreements and contracts for all Group companies
- Maintain standard contracts to be used with little variation for lower risk purposes
- Deal with claims for and against the Company with and without external legal support as appropriate
- Conduct relevant research into legal issues as required
- Advise the Board on relevant legal developments
- Liaise and instruct external legal advisors as necessary
- Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board
COMPANY SECRETARY
General
- Ensure compliance with Listing Rules and Companies Act, Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and Market Abuse Regulations
- Drafting and appropriate submission of market announcements
- Monitor changes in legislation and governance, implement appropriate policies and procedures to ensure compliance and provide technical updates to the Board
- Management of all statutory compliance
- Act as Secretary to the Treatt Plc Audit, Remuneration, Nomination, Risk and Bid Defence Committees including preparing agendas and supporting papers, attending meetings, minuting meetings, providing support and advice to the Committee Chairs and members and liaising with relevant third parties as and when required
- Provide Company Secretary cover for Treatt USA and Treatt China as required
- Ensure the relevant corporate governance parts of the group website are presented effectively and kept up to date
- Management and oversight of other members of the Governance Team
Meetings
- Ensure timely co-ordination and distribution of agendas
- Write reports, prepare and distribute Board packs
- Responsible for minuting Board and Committee meetings and USA Board meetings
- Ensure completion of action points resulting from meetings
- Ensure timely organisation of the Annual General Meeting
Annual Report and Accounts
- Be responsible for and draft certain sections of the Annual Report and Accounts including drafting statutory notices of meetings / proxy forms etc.
- Responsible for the verification of sections of the Annual Report and Accounts
- Dealing with deemed consent in respect of the Annual Report and Accounts
- Proof reading of draft Annual Report and Accounts
- Ensure liaison with registrars and printers on number of reports required and mailing lists
Share Schemes/Share Dealing
- Ensure schemes rules are current and maintained at all times
- Ensure timely co-ordination of Grant and Exercise of Options for the SAYE, ESPP, SIP and LTIP
- Ensure records of Scheme participants updating with grant, exercise and withdrawal details are current and maintained at all times
- Responsible for filing annual returns with Inland Revenue for all UK schemes
- Oversight of responses to staff share dealing requests and maintain register of dealings
- Responsible for maintaining register of directors’ interests
Other
- Ensure timely liaison with Registrars regarding the dividend timetable, preparation / approval of warrants and transfer of funds
- Arrange payment of dividends to US employees
- Maintain GDPR policy compliance and registrations for UK Group Companies
- Coordinate the applications, registrations and maintenance of new and existing trademarks
- Provide advice and support to Executive and Non-Executive Directors as required
- Support in dealing with insurance claims and issues
- Liaising with advisers in relation to the companies’ property interests
- Applying for and maintaining relevant HMRC and Home Office licenses
- Ad hoc projects and research
- Any other duty commonly associated with the role
- Perform such other tasks as are consistent with the general description.
- Act in the best interests of the Treatt Group at all times
What we’re looking for
If you have a genuine passion for what you do and want to work in an environment that celebrates progress, teamwork and dedication, you’re what we’re after.
Ideally you will :
- Be a Barrister, Advocate or Solicitor called or admitted in any part of the UK
- Chartered Accountancy, Management Accountancy, Secretaries and Administrators or Public Finance and Accounting membership
- Honours degree in accountancy and finance, business management or law
- Member of the Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland desirable
- Have held the office of Company Secretary of a public company for at least three out of the previous five years’ experience in a similar role
What we’ll do for you
We offer an excellent package which includes a competitive salary; a generous holiday entitlement as well as the opportunity to purchase additional holiday, we also offer a discretionary annual bonus, BUPA medical and dental schemes, pension scheme with 9% employer contribution, life assurance, group income protection, SAYE schemes and free shares.
With the encouragement and development you need, we help you to become your ultimate you. Beyond building a successful career, we also support the wishes and ambitions of our staff outside of the office in achieving a health work/life balance - the wellbeing of our staff is paramount to us, which we actively promote and support by regularly delivering a variety of wellbeing initiatives and offering responsibility based flexibility. There will also be opportunities to be actively involved in community and charity projects and to take part in numerous subsidized social events.
Polite Notice
We politely request that we are not contacted by any recruitment agencies. We have a preferred supplier list and high volumes of speculative calls from agencies negatively impact upon the efficiency of our business. Please help us to maintain the highest levels of customer service by respecting our wishes.