How Your Secretary Can Support Your ESG Strategy Most people think of company secretaries as the people who handle board meetings and file annual returns. That's true, but it's not the full picture anymore. Your company secretary actually sits at the center of corporate governance. And governance is the "G" in ESG. That makes them uniquely positioned to help drive your environmental, social, and governance strategy forward. Here's how that works in practice. The Governance Connection ESG isn't just a reporting exercise. It's about how your company actually operates. And your secretary already manages many of the systems that make good governance happen. They organize board meetings. They keep records. They make sure directors know their duties. They track compliance deadlines. All of this creates the infrastructure that lets ESG initiatives actually function instead of just existing on paper. When you're building out an ESG program, you need someone who understands your company's governance structure inside and out. Your secretary already does. They know who needs to approve what, how decisions get documented, and where accountability sits. Keeping ESG on the Board's Radar Here's a common problem: companies announce ESG commitments, then six months later, nothing's changed. Why? Because no one's actually tracking progress at the top level. Your secretary controls the board agenda. They can make sure ESG isn't just mentioned once a year during annual planning. They can schedule regular updates. They can flag when ESG targets aren't being met. They can ensure directors receive the right inform ation before meetings so ESG discussions are informed, not superficial. This isn't sexy work, but it matters. ESG strategies fail when they don't have consistent senior - level attention. Your secretary can prevent that. Documentation and Disclosure Regulators and investors want to see your ESG data. They want it accurate, consistent, and verifiable. Company secretarial services include managing corporate records and regulatory filings. That skill set translates directly to ESG reporting. Your secretary knows how to gather information from across the business, verify it, and present it in formats that meet external requirements. Singapore Exchange (SGX) listed companies already need to publish sustainability reports. Requirements are getting stricter, not looser. Your secretary can coordinate this process. They can establish workflows for collecting ESG metrics. They can work with external auditors. They can make sure your public disclosures match your internal data. Policy Implementation Say your company commits to better supply chain transparency or improved workplace safety. Great. Now someone needs to turn those commitments into actual policies. This is another area where your secretary adds value. They're used to drafting policies, getting them approved, and making sure people follow them. They can adapt that process for ESG initiatives. They can draft environmental policies. They can create codes of conduct. They can establish whistleblowing procedures. Then they can monitor compliance and report back to the board when things aren't working. Stakeholder Management ESG involves more stakeholders than traditional governance work. You're not just answering to shareholders anymore. You're dealing with employees, customers, NGOs, and communities. Your secretary already manages relationships with key stakeholders like regulators and shareholders. They can extend that coordination role to ESG stakeholders. They can organize stakeholder consultations. They can handle ESG - related inquiries. They can ma intain communication channels that keep different groups informed. Risk Identification Good secretaries don't just process paperwork. They spot problems before they become crises. ESG creates new types of risk. Reputational risk from environmental incidents. Legal risk from changing regulations. Operational risk from supply chain issues. Your secretary, because they see across the whole business, can identify these risks early. They can flag when ESG commitments aren't being met. They can alert directors to regulatory changes. They can ensure risk committees have ESG on their agendas. This early warning system is part of what governance is supposed to provide. Why Entrust Gets This Not every company secretarial services provider thinks about ESG this way. Many still see the role as purely administrative. Entrust takes a different approach. They understand that modern corporate governance and ESG are inseparable. Their team doesn't just file documents — they help companies build governance structures that support long - term sustainability goals. When you work with Entrust , you're not getting someone who shows up once a year for your AGM. You're getting ongoing support from people who understand how governance enables ESG strategy. They can help you set up board processes, establish reporting frameworks, and create accounta bility systems that actually work. Making It Practical If you want your secretary to support your ESG strategy, here's what that looks like: • Include ESG in board agendas regularly, not just annually. Have your secretary schedule these items and prepare briefing materials. • Establish clear ESG reporting lines. Your secretary should know who owns each piece of ESG data and how it flows up to the board. • Document your ESG commitments properly. Treat them like any other corporate policy with proper approval processes and version control. • Create feedback loops. Your secretary should report back on ESG progress, not just collect data. • Connect ESG to risk management. Make sure your secretary has visibility into how ESG risks are identified and managed. The Bottom Line Your company secretary isn't going to solve climate change. They're not going to fix inequality. But they can build the internal systems that let your ESG strategy function effectively. That's valuable. ESG fails when it's just talk. It succeeds when it's embedded in how your company operates. Your secretary, more than almost anyone else in your organization, has the position and skills to make that embedding happen. If you're serious about ESG, stop thinking of your secretary as someone who just handles compliance paperwork. Start thinking of them as a key player in your governance infrastructure. Because that's what they are.