I have served as Secretary to the Board of DataOm since October 2023. DataOm is the submarine cable company of ITHCA Group. I was its founding board secretary. I helped set up the company, and I now look after its board governance, statutory compliance and records.
This essay explains what a board secretary does. Many people think the job is only taking minutes. The minutes matter, but they are one part of a wider role.
Starting with a new company
A new company has no board history. There are no past minutes to copy and no habits to follow. The founding board secretary helps to build that base. At DataOm, I helped set up the company from the start.
The early tasks are practical. The board needs a clear meeting cycle. Each meeting needs an agenda, papers and a record of decisions. The company needs a place to keep its statutory documents. Each of these is a small task. Together, they decide whether the board can work well in its first years.
The meeting cycle
Organizing board meetings is a core part of my role. A board secretary plans each meeting with the chair and with management. Before the meeting, the secretary agrees the agenda and collects the papers. The directors get the pack with enough time to read it.
During the meeting, the secretary records the discussion and the decisions. After the meeting, the secretary writes the minutes and sends them for review. The secretary also tracks each action that the board gives to management. At the next meeting, the board sees which actions are complete and which are still open.
A good meeting cycle saves the board time. Directors arrive prepared. Discussion stays on the decisions that the board must make.
Statutory compliance
A company in Oman has legal and regulatory duties. Some of these duties belong to the board. The board secretary helps the company meet them on time. This includes the correct approvals and the correct filings.
DataOm is a subsidiary of ITHCA Group, and it supports Oman's digital connectivity infrastructure. Part of my role is compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Each board decision must follow the correct process. A good secretary raises a question of process with the chair before the meeting starts.
Records
The records of a board are its memory. Directors change over time, but the minutes and resolutions stay. A future board must be able to read why the company made a decision and who approved it.
Maintaining these records is part of my role. They must be complete and in order. This sounds like simple administration. In practice, it protects the company. A new director can find the facts without asking anyone to remember them.
The link between board and management
The board secretary sits between the board and management. I carry questions from directors to management and bring answers back. I also work with stakeholders outside the company when the board needs it.
This position needs trust from both sides. Management must see the secretary as fair. The board must see the secretary as independent of any one view. The secretary keeps the facts clear and lets the directors make the decisions.
What the role taught me
I also lead strategic planning at ITHCA Group, and I run BHD Group as founder and CEO. The board secretary role helps me in both jobs. It taught me to write a decision so that it is clear years later. It also taught me to prepare a board paper that leads the board to a clear decision.
Good governance is mostly careful preparation and clear records. A board that has both can spend its time on the decisions that matter.
Related: My career and Board KPIs that a board can actually use.