Additional information about the role and responsibilities of directors’ and secretaries can be found in our Life of a Company Part 2 – Event Driven Filings’ guide.
2.1 Minimum number of officers
Private companies: The Companies Act 2006 requires a private company to have at least one director. However, a company’s articles of association could impose a higher minimum requirement. At least one director must be an individual. A private company does not need to have a secretary unless the company’s articles of association require it.
Public companies: A public company must have at least two directors and a secretary. At least one director must be an individual. The secretary of a public company must be qualified.
2.2 Company directors
It’s up to the members to appoint the directors who will run the company on their behalf. You can’t be a director if you are:
disqualified from acting as a company director (unless the court has given you permission to act for a particular company)
an undischarged bankrupt (unless you have been given permission by the court to act for a particular company)
under the age of 16
Company secretary
A private company secretary doesn’t need any qualifications. A secretary of a public company must have one or more of the qualifications described in public companies.