Beyond Minutes: Reimagining the Board Secretary in the Age of AI

Beyond Minutes: Reimagining the Board Secretary in the Age of AI

Is today’s board secretary ready for tomorrow’s boardroom?

In this episode, Moya Heyhurst returns to the Better Boards Podcast to explore how AI is reshaping not just how company secretaries work—but what their role means. A fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute with 25+ years’ experience, Moya shares insights from her work across industries and with the Centre for AI in Board Effectiveness.

Board secretaries sit at the intersection of governance and transformation. This episode explores how they can lead—not lag—as expectations rise.

The Role Is Changing—The Only Question Is How

“If you define yourself as just arranging meetings and writing minutes, then this is a call to arms.”

Secretaries must move beyond logistics to remain relevant in an AI-enabled boardroom.

Not Just Automation—A Shift in Purpose

“AI can either destroy your world or make it better. It’s how you decide to use it.”

AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a turning point. It can elevate how governance professionals deliver insight and value.

The Strategic Partner Boards Didn’t Know They Had

“Company secretaries know where everything is—and they know the risks of what’s at their fingertips.”

Great secretaries already drive board effectiveness. It’s time the role reflects that.

From Admin to Governance Intelligence

“If board secretaries don’t step forward, someone else will.”

The board’s demand for strategic input is rising. If secretaries don’t fill the gap, others will.

From Shadow Influence to Vocal Leadership

“We need to surface the role of the board secretary to unlock the value already inside organisations.”

Speaking up isn’t about ego—it’s about relevance.

How to Get Started

“Secretaries don’t have to know how to do it all. They need to know where the answers are—and how to connect them.”

Three Key Takeaways

• This is not a task shift—it’s a role shift.
• Step forward—or others will.
• The profession is ready—if it’s intentional.

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Transcript

Sabine : 0:02

Beyond Minutes, reimagining the board secretary in the age of AI. Welcome to the BetterBots podcast series, the podcast for chairs, CEOs, non-executive directors, company secretaries, and their advisors. Every episode is filled with practical insights and learnings from those inside boardrooms. We discuss what really matters and highlight actionable steps you can take to enhance the performance of your board. The role of the board secretary is a crossroad. Traditionally, it is seen as a guardian of governance, the keeper of the minutes, and the facilitator of board processes. The secretary function is now being reshaped by rapidly evolving boardroom demands. Now the rise of AI, the growing complexity of governance and the increasing need for insight-rich strategic support are challenging the conventional expectations of the role. But this isn't just about task automation, it's about purpose. Boards don't just need better executions, they need sharper interpretation, integration and strategic enablement. If the board secretary doesn't step forward into this space, others will. The question is no longer whether the role is changing. It's how those in it will choose to respond. In this episode, we dive into the realities shaping this transformation. We'll examine how AI is already influencing board secretaries, explore the expanding demands on board governance, and tackle the critical question, is the future of the board secretary about expansion, repositioning, or replacing? With insights from experienced governance professionals, we'll unpack what's truly at stake, why board secretaries have a unique opportunity to lead, and how they must redefine their posture and not just update their processes. If the profession is ready, the time to act is now. I'm absolutely delighted to welcome again Moja Hayhurst. She is a fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute with over 25 years of corporate governance experience across multiple industries, including mining, financial services, and insurance. Now, the reason why we invited Muya again, she's heavily involved with the Center for AI in Board Effectiveness and takes part in the research. And the mission is to progress AI's role in board effectiveness and help board ecosystems adapt. Moja, thank you so much for being back with us at the Better Boards podcast series. Thank you so much. Excited to be back with you. Now, there is so much excitement in the whole board community and the company secretariat community about AI, which is why we have decided to focus a little bit on the topic. And you're basically kicking us off with a small series we are planning now with a special focus on what it all means for company secretaries. So let's first look at this big picture. Why now?

Moya Heyhurst: 3:27

Thank you. You know, you're so right. You know, you can't open up LinkedIn or pick up an article without some reference to AI. So I'm working with a number of other industry leaders for the Center for AI and Board Effectiveness. And we are looking at AI's impact on various elements of the board space. And today, as you said, company secretaries or board secretaries is where we are looking today. And it's really around AI. how things are evolving in that space. And board secretaries really are caught in the middle of that transformation. Honestly, I feel like we are standing on a precipice. You know, directors are already seeing the benefits of using AI. Many of them are using it personally. And in some progressive companies, there's some in there as well. And we've seen the directors now actively asking for AI. What are the companies doing? What are the secretaries doing? On the other side, the business is flying with AI in various forms across the business. AI is helping them refine, convert data, just find that competitive edge and unlock it. And as I said, company secretaries are standing in the middle, but many of them, us, me, are still wondering, what is our role? I really feel like the moment is now. We've gone way beyond just arranging meetings and writing minutes. And sadly, if you, those listening, have defined the board secretary as arranging meetings and writing minutes, or if you as a board secretary define yourself as arranging in that space, then this is really a call to arms. This is the moment. This is what is changing. I

Sabine : 5:22

mean, the media has become less critical. I mean, I can remember some months ago, it was about, ah, is it safe? Is it secure? There was a bit hesitation. There is now less hesitation, but there are still some question marks about how useful is it actually? I mean, those are all

Moya Heyhurst: 5:41

truths. The reality is AI is there. I mean, at the moment I've got an iPhone, I've got an iPad, and I've got a laptop sitting on my desk. AI is listening, whether we like it or not. We've got to get past that knee-jerk reaction. Now it's more about the why. What is going on? What are we doing? Where are we? How do we use it? And it comes down to playing with it. AI is still just a tool. It progresses things. It helps you to cut through data. It's a tool. It really is a tool. And it can either... And I'm going to take a deep breath when I say this. It can either destroy your world or it can make it better. It's like anything. It's how you decide to use it. There is no one size fits all. Every person... And every company is in a different space. So it really is up to each person to decide what that looks like for them. And in reality, that is the output that we are looking for from the Center for AI for Board Effectiveness, is to help people frame those questions and delve deep within their organizations to how to do this. Because over the years, the board secretary has... you know, has been defined as, you know, as I said before, the quality of minutes. But, you know, if you take it a couple of steps back, at the beginning, the board secretary role evolved as being the right hand of the CEO and the chair. Now it's been pushed so many levels down the organization. And COSEX have always been the guardians of corporate governance. But you know, they have stepped further, further back into the shadows and worked so quietly in the background just to get all of the stuff done. Not just administrative stuff that people tend to see. There's so much that happens in the background that company secretaries don't shout about. You know, we're a very quiet group of people. We get stuff done. Yeah. And because we are quiet, people don't have gotten the value that we

Sabine : 8:01

bring. So what's then the immediate impact of AI? What are company secretaries experiencing at the moment?

Moya Heyhurst: 8:11

Well, it's interesting. As I said, the demand has changed. If you look at the previous podcast where we looked at it from a board perspective, there that environment is shifting with more data, less time, higher expectations, more interconnected risks, and the board requirements have changed. The directors don't just want somebody who ticks off admin tasks. And therefore, the board secretary role is shifting. It's moving into judgment, strategic thinking, proactive guidance. A lot of this is done from the shadows. But the reality is AI will be able to write a decent set of minutes. And Company secretaries or board secretaries will spend a couple of hours refining versus days refining this stuff. Basic administration, scheduling meetings, pulling packs together, filing forms are going to be done in minutes. The company secretary's role is actually almost, the role that we're seeing emerging now is the chief of staff. That used to be the board secretary's role. At the chair, CEO's right hand, getting stuff done, positioning, timing, linking to strategy, all within, you know, utilizing the corporate knowledge, but doing it safely.

Sabine : 9:40

As you know, we are working with company secretaries when we do the board evaluations. And yeah, you see good ones, you see bad ones, you see mediocre ones. This element of strategic thinking is I have seen it in the best company secretaries and in really experienced company secretaries. But it's not something that really comes easy to all of them. That is very true.

Moya Heyhurst: 10:06

But it's the way we train and it's the way we evolve. Company secretaries listen. We are half lawyers, half accountants with a lot of business in between. And it's also about the voice that we have. And that is the challenge that a lot of company secretaries or board secretaries are struggling with. And that's to a degree why the profession, I think, has almost evolved to where it is now, where a lot of company secretaries are not used to talking in a meeting. They're used to quietly influencing from the side, unless there is an absolute, I wouldn't say fatal flaw, but a very key governance matter that is being discussed. Then they might say something. And it's really this change in almost recreating the space that I know we talk about in my previous podcast about unlocking the value with the directors, right? and in the board. This is saying, how do we unlock the value in a core part of the organization that's already got the corporate knowledge, that person's already trained, they already understand how to navigate it. But all this is, is just like AI, changes data into intelligence and surfaces at the right time. We need to surface the role of the board secretary and the company secretary to unlock all of this information that is sitting within them. They are the one person in the organization that is sitting with handfuls of strings. They know where everything is. You know, they know where to find everything and they know the dangers of what is at their fingertips.

Sabine : 11:54

And you know, it reminds me, some years ago I was working with a lot of chief financial officers and their role has dramatically changed. It isn't good enough to basically produce the correct numbers, you need to help the business to understand the strategic implications and hold a conversation with every executive to interpret it and help

Moya Heyhurst: 12:21

them. It's that strategic partnership. A lot of the governance professionals have been really pushing to move into this head of corporate governance, head of governance, a governance partner in the business. And the challenge that we've seen is there is this need, but other roles are starting to move into those spaces. And it's it's not deliberate, you know, it's because that's where the need is. You know, it's that insight integration, you know, it's that governance intelligence that the directors and the executives are desperately trying to unlock and get to grips with. They get the business, but it's those connections that are so important. And the challenging thing we are seeing is that legal and the transformation guys, the guys in strategy, they are all stepping into these roles and becoming those governance strategic advisors, and that was always traditionally the co-sex role. And that really just shows the shift that we're seeing on the board now, and the executive, honestly, where they are seeing the value in strategic thinking and digital skills, And as much as they still need administrative tasks, those are the elements that are now more important to the company to make sure that the company remains, well, to be honest, that it's still there tomorrow.

Sabine : 13:58

So do you have any practical tip actually how companies across sales who sit now, they listen to this and think, ah, I actually know it. I wouldn't admit it, but I actually know that I'm not very good at this. How can they dare to come out more of their comfort zone? What do they need to do to really go into that space and develop that strategic know-how and really step into this? What's your advice?

Moya Heyhurst: 14:28

You know, the board secretary's environment, it's a small epicenter. Most of us know each other. A lot of company secretaries or board secretaries in London are probably one step removed from each other. And that is, turn to people you know. Turn to your peers. It's not about exposing yourself. But it's doing what the company secretary has always done best, is ask questions, understand the risks and the dynamics and then look internal to the company and figure out how to best help the company to navigate that. So don't say no. That is my biggest thing is do not say no. Ask how. Connect into your organization. You have incredible knowledgeable individuals in the organization with all due respect who love to talk give them the opportunity and you'll collect so much knowledge and data along the way just remember company secretaries don't always need to know how to do something they need to know where the information lies how to connect people how to navigate through it and how to very clearly identify the risks and and find ways through and i suppose you know i was saying earlier that company secretaries or board secretaries have over the years disappeared into the shadows. You've got to step out. You have to step out of the shadows and

Sabine : 16:05

you have to make your voice heard. I mean, it sounds like a fantastic opportunity, particularly for the younger company secretaries who listen to this. It seems to be an exciting career path. Absolutely. With a lot of company

Moya Heyhurst: 16:20

secretaries, this is why we decided to do this role. But you know, if we do not grab this with both hands, and this is a very honest and sad thing to say, we will lose everything. If we continue to justify ourselves as administrators and riding a good set of minutes, we will not have a future. But if we remember all the rest of what we have, the institutional wisdom that You know, all of that stuff. It is an exciting, exciting time.

Sabine : 16:52

I mean, it seems to be a real shift of mindset that's needed here or that's ongoing, let's face it. And also capability changes that come in here. So how can AI already today help a company secretary to do what you describe?

Moya Heyhurst: 17:12

It's in the little things. It's not in the big things. It's in the little things. I mean, even now, AI is embedded in a lot of the company secretarial products, the little chatbots that you can ask it, what is the quorum for a meeting? Don't spend hours looking at information and data and trying to draw through a set of articles. Ask your AI. Start using it. We have always led through example. That's how we got the board portal software into the companies is we learned how to use it. We saw the value and we showed the directors. We have to do the same. So we have to embrace the AI that is in our space before we take AI into the boardroom.

Sabine : 17:57

Good point. Now, we covered a lot from AI to the change of the profession. Now, what are the key things our listeners should take away from this podcast?

Moya Heyhurst: 18:10

Right. The three things. This is always the tough part. This is not a task shift. It's a role shift. So, AI may change how work is done. But the biggest shift is what the board needs. Not execution, but insight, interpretation, and integration, which is what COSECs have always done so well. So the role needs to evolve in purpose, not just process. That's number one. Number two, as I said just now, the board secretary has got to step forward. Because if they don't, someone else will. It's not a competition, but it's because it's a necessity. Directors and executives are already turning to others because that's the kind of support they need. So the opportunity is still open, but beware that window is narrowing. Okay. Third one. As you said, you know, the change for new company secretaries coming in. I honestly think the profession is ready for this. Honestly, honestly do. But we need to be intentional and the other listeners on this podcast who are not company secretaries or board secretaries, you need to be our champions. You know, we have to be able to show judgment, trust and show that we understand the boards that rely on us. but we have to stay central and we have to embrace these new capabilities. We've got to become digitally fluent, interpret data, re-look at governance design, and really take on that mindset of strategic enablement. So it's really the strategic element rather than process that we have to actively consider. So those are my three, as you said, There is an awful lot we've been through and oh my goodness, there's so much more to talk about, which I think we'll do in future podcasts. But today is the call. Do something about it or someone else will. Make it an amazing role for yourself or decide to do something completely different because those are going to be your options.

Sabine : 20:37

Moja, thank you so much for a very insightful episode. Thank you. Thank you, Sabine. I hope it's been helpful. Thank you for listening to the Better Boards podcast series. If you have any thoughts on this episode, if you would like to see that we cover a specific topic, or if you would like to step forward yourself and contribute, get in touch. Also, you know, we do board evaluations. If you would like to hear about what we do to support company secretaries in the changing role we discussed, hey, come to our website, press the book a demo button and let's have a little chat. I'm very much looking forward to hearing from you. Hope you enjoy the series and keep being tuned in.