Having offered corporate services for well over a decade now, London Registrars (https://www.london-registrars.co.uk) is accutely aware of the wide range of reasons for company secretarial services, and the situation is no different for AIM-registered companies. First of all, however, it is necessary for the potential users of such services to understand AIM, or the Alternative Investment Market.

As its name suggests, the Alternative Investment Market was launched as an alternative to the wider London Stock Exchange (LSE) – specifically, to give smaller companies an opportunity to float shares in a more flexibly regulated environment. AIM was launched as a sub-market of the LSE in 1995, and the almost two decades since has seen the admission to it of more than 3,000 companies, as well as the raising of more than £80 billion.

In more recent years, even some companies in the Main Market have decided to return to AIM, on account of the flexibility of its regulatory system and the lack of requirements for the number of shares issued, as well as tax benefits for investors. There are, however, certain duties that a company secretary can carry out if they are AIM-listed. London Registrars has a seasoned in-house company secretarial team delivering quality assured services for such firms.

A firm may want an AIM company secretary from London Registrars to manage meetings of the board, committees of the board and general meetings, as well as AGMs. They are also able to carry out corporate health checks of a company’s statutory registers and secretarial records, not only presenting a report but also potentially helping to rectify any issues that arise from it. They can also advise on the achieving and maintenance of good governance.

Ensuring company compliance is a major priority for many of the AIM-listed companies that contact London Registrars about the services of such professionals, and sure enough, they are able to provide compliance consultancy to ensure the good governance that keeps a firm compliant with general UK company law. More specific rules and regulations that companies may appreciate assistance complying with include the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, UK Corporate Governance Code 2010 and AIM Rules for Companies.

These are just a few of the things that an AIM company secretary can do to ensure good corporate governance, with other duties that can be carried out including the management of shareholder information by liaising with the firm’s registrars to issue section 793 notices. They may also review and contribute to the annual report and accounts, as well as taking ownership of arrangements for the report’s production and mailing to shareholders.

From safeguarding the statutory books and cost-effectively managing dormant subsidiaries to providing administrative support and even interim company secretarial cover in the case of illness or other circumstances, the range of responsibilities that an AIM company secretary can have is vast. London Registrars (https://www.london-registrars.co.uk) is available to speak to prospective clients about this service in more detail.