Can a Director Also Be the Company Secretary in Singapore ? This question comes up a lot, especially with new founders and small business owners in Singapore. You’ve incorporated a company. You’re the director. You’re hands - on with everything else. So it’s natural to ask: can I just be my own company secretary? The short answer is: sometimes. The longer answer matters more. Because while the law allows it in certain cases, doing it well is a different issue altogether. This article explains what the rules actually say, when you can act as your own company secretary, and when it’s risky to try. What a company secretary actually does The title sounds formal, but the role is practical. A company secretary is responsible for the company’s statutory compliance. That includes maintaining registers, filing annual returns, recording board decisions, and making sure the company follows the Co mpanies Act. They are also the gatekeeper for process. When directors make decisions, the company secretary ensures those decisions are documented properly. When changes happen, they make sure the filings reflect reality. This role isn’t about strategy. It’s about discipline. What Singapore law allows Under Singapore law, every company must appoint a company secretary within six months of incorporation. The secretary must be a natural person who is ordinarily resident in Singapore. Here’s the key point: if your company has only one director, that director cannot also be the company secretary. The roles must be held by different people. If your company has more than one director, one of the directors may act as the company secretary, provided they are resident in Singapore and meet the basic requirements. So yes, in some cases, you can be your own company secretary. But the rule depends on your board structure. Why the single - director rule exists The restriction isn’t arbitrary. It’s about checks and balances. The company secretary is meant to support and, when needed, challenge directors on process. If the same person holds both roles in a single - director company, there’s no separation at all. This separation becomes important when regulators, auditors, or banks look at your records. They expect some level of internal control, even in small companies. Legal permission doesn’t mean practical sense This is where many business owners get caught out. Just because you’re allowed to act as your own company secretary doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. The role requires attention to detail, familiarity with deadlines, and comfort with regulatory processes. Most directors are focused on operations, sales, and growth. Compliance tends to slip down the list until something goes wrong. When that happens, fixing issues after the fact is harder and more expensive. Being your own company secretary works only if you are genuinely disciplined and well - informed. What tends to go wrong in practice Problems rarely show up immediately. They build quietly. Registers aren’t updated when shares change hands. Board decisions are made informally and never documented. Annual returns are filed late or with errors. Beneficial ownership records fall out of sync. None of these feel urgent day to day. But they matter during audits, financing, or exits. At that point, missing paperwork becomes a real obstacle. Directors often assume they’ll “sort it out later.” Later is usually too late. The time cost people underestimate Acting as your own company secretary takes time. Not a lot each week, but enough to distract you from running the business. You need to track deadlines. Understand filing requirements. Stay up to date with regulatory changes. Respond to queries from banks or authorities. If this work fits naturally into your day, fine. For most founders, it doesn’t. It becomes background stress rather than structured work. When it might make sense to do it yourself There are cases where acting as your own company secretary is reasonable. Very early - stage companies with two or more directors, minimal activity, and no external investors may manage fine. If the business is simple and you’re comfortable with compliance, the risk is lower. Even then, it helps to be honest with yourself. Are you actually maintaining proper records, or are you relying on memory and goodwill? When it usually doesn’t make sense As soon as your company grows, the calculus changes. If you bring in investors, issue shares, grant options, or restructure, the volume and complexity of secretarial work increases. If you operate across borders or deal with regula t ed partners, scrutiny increases too. At that stage, being your own company secretary becomes a liability. Mistakes aren’t just administrative. They affect credibility. The role of corporate secretarial services This is where corporate secretarial services fit in. They take ownership of compliance so directors don’t have to juggle it alongside everything else. A professional company secretary maintains registers, prepares resolutions, files returns, and reminds you of deadlines. More importantly, they bring consistency. Decisions are recorded properly. Changes are reflected accurately. This doesn’t remove responsibility from directors. It supports them in meeting it. Cost versus consequence Some business owners hesitate because of cost. That’s understandable. But the real comparison isn’t between fees and zero cost. It’s between fees and potential consequences. Late filings lead to penalties. Poor records delay financing. Weak governance raises red flags during due diligence. These costs are rarely predictable, and they often appear at the worst time. Viewed that way, outsourcing the company secretary role is often a form of risk management. A common middle ground Some directors choose a hybrid approach. They stay closely involved in governance but appoint external corporate secretarial services to handle filings and records. This keeps visibility high while reducing risk. Directors focus on decisions. The secretary focuses on process. For many growing companies, this balance works well. Final thoughts So, can you be your own company secretary? Sometimes, yes. Should you? That depends on your structure, your discipline, and your tolerance for risk. The role of company secretary isn’t glamorous, but it’s foundational. When it’s done well, no one notices. When it’s done badly, everyone does. If your company is simple and you’re confident in managing compliance, doing it yourself may work for a while. As complexity grows, professional corporate secretarial services become less of a convenience and more of a safeguard. The real question isn’t whether you’re allowed to do it. It’s whether you want to be the person responsible when something slips.