Demystifying the Duty of a Company Secretary in Hong Kong

17 June 2020

The Hong Kong Companies Ordinance, Chapter 622, makes it mandatory for every company to be registered in Hong Kong to have a company secretary. So important is the company secretary that indeed, your company will not be registered without one. In this post, we will look at the duties of a company secretary in a Hong Kong company.

What is a Company Secretary?

First, it is important to appreciate that a company secretary is completely different from common clerks who do clerical work. According to the Companies Ordinance, a company secretary is a senior officer in a company who is responsible for efficient administration, especially with respect to ensuring compliance with statutory requirements. So, you need to ensure that only the most qualified and committed person gets the job.

The Main Duties of Company Secretary

From the definition of a company secretary, there is no doubt that the roles he does and how he does them will greatly impact the company’s success. So, let us start by understanding the duties of a company secretary.

Fulfilling the Company’s Tax Obligation

When opening a company in Hong Kong, it is important to understand that the administration runs a business economy because the registered enterprises serve as the primary source of revenue. Therefore, the administration takes tax matters very seriously. Your company secretary is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the company meets all its tax obligations. Some of these obligations include:

Overseeing the filing of the tax returns correctly and on time.
Seeking additional approval or clarifications on tax-related matters.
Registering the company with IRD (Inland Revenue Department).

Keeping Statutory Books

The Hong Kong Companies Ordinance also designates the company secretary as the custodian of the statutory books. This implies that the secretary should have every document that the government might need to inspect. In addition to keeping these books of account, the company secretary is also responsible for:

Updating the details on statutory books.
Producing and distributing company accounts and reports.

Planning and Attending Company Meetings

As we indicated earlier, the company secretary is involved with top-level management, and one of that roles is planning the company’s meetings. This is considered an important role because it is in these meetings that actions to be taken on different areas, such as books of accounts and employment, are made. Here is a breakdown of these duties:

Organize board meetings.
Participate in board meetings.
Prepare the agenda of the company meetings.
Implement the decisions made during meetings in compliance with laws.
Advise the company on compliance with the law.

Other Duties of a Company Secretary

While the roles we have outlined above are considered the core for a company secretary, they are not the only ones. Other administrative duties include:

Communicating with shareholders, the Stock Exchange, and regulatory bodies on behalf of the company.
Observing the company developments and giving advice to the board of directors.
Guiding the company through the process of liquidation.

If you are planning to incorporate a company in Hong Kong, the position of a company secretary is very important and should only be entrusted to a qualified and experienced person. With the best company secretary, you can rest assured that the business will make the best decisions and grow into the multinational of your dreams.

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Mashum Mollah

Mashum Mollah is the feature writer of Search Engine Magazine and an SEO Analyst at Real Wealth Business. Over the last 3 years, He has successfully developed and implemented online marketing, SEO, and conversion campaigns for 50+ businesses of all sizes. He is the co-founder of Social Media Magazine.

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Helpful Questions To Ask An Interviewee

Interview questions reveal candidates' skills and personalities. Successful interviews need good questions. Before an interview, prepare and rehearse questions. You will find several sample questions, and what the possible answers might mean as far as insight relating to a potential hire. Of course, there are no ideal answers, but some of the sample questions and answers could help you in finding the right candidate for your open position. Why are excellent interview questions crucial? Interview questions help businesses learn about applicants. An employer may interview candidates after posting a position and evaluating applications and cover letters. Real-time conversations with applicants demonstrate communication, social, and interpersonal abilities. Discover their humor, interests, and personalities. Good questions help you assess a candidate's fit for the position and organization. A successful interview shows prospective employers your professionalism and expertise. This may keep them engaged in the work. Top three interview questions Interviews are great for getting to know a candidate. Employers may evaluate candidates' credentials and job suitability by asking the correct questions. Three great interview questions are: Describe yourself. This question asks candidates about their professional and personal interests. To learn about your interviewee, start with this question. Candidates usually have a response that covers their present job, past position, and professional objectives. Click here to read more about professional objectives and how to best develop one for a resume. This question might set up subsequent, more specialized queries. Your candidate's replies reveal their skills. A succinct yet informative response may indicate a good communicator. They may be good public speakers if they make eye contact and talk confidently. They are likely socially adept if they are courteous. Why do you desire and suit this job? Why they desire the job is a crucial interview question. Their response is an opportunity for them to convey their enthusiasm for the role, as well as their abilities and experience relevant to the responsibilities of the position. An individual must love their job to work hard and enthusiastically. Asking why your applicant is a good match lets them discuss their relevant experiences, abilities, and credentials. This is crucial if the position has complicated, tight criteria. Why work with us? This question tests candidates' understanding of your company's purpose, beliefs, and ambitions. Candidates that have studied your organization before the interview should be able to answer this question confidently. Their response might demonstrate preparedness, detail, and love for your company. Employees must admire their company to work hard. Some of the following questions to ask an interviewee are designed to help allow you find a good fit for the position you’re hiring for. For example, if the potential hire places high value on work being the central focus of their life at the moment, and is interviewing for an executive position, you may see a potential for a good fit in their answer. Your friends and coworkers describe you. This inquiry will reveal your candidate's work ethic and opinions. Characterize how friends and coworkers would describe you as personable, industrious, and detail oriented. What drives you? This question assesses your candidate's dedication to your company. Candidates might discuss their interest in assisting others or expanding their knowledge base, or they can discuss strategies for achieving goals such as making use of established procedures or working in teams, as possible responses to this question. Your greatest professional achievement? This question lets you understand a particular outcome your applicant achieved. They have shown they can meet objectives and produce goods or services. Your biggest strength? This popular inquiry evaluates a candidate's most relevant skill. If they are seeking an administrative job, their greatest strength may be organization, or if they are applying for customer service, communication. Your biggest flaw? This question assesses your candidate's self-reflection. Look for methods they aim to address professional inadequacies in their response. Stress management? Employees must be able to manage and overcome stress to perform difficult tasks, fulfill deadlines, or master new skills. Candidates may suggest taking pauses, deep breathing, or asking for support. Give me an example of your initiative. Initiative-taking, self-disciplined workers who take initiative to fulfill key duties may benefit many occupations. This question might reveal if your applicant is innovative and autonomous. Share a problem-solving (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_solvin) experience. Many jobs need problem-solving abilities, so ask your prospect this. Teachers must remain cool in emergencies since they deal with youngsters. Share a multitasking experience. For organization, planning, and attention, ask your candidate this question. To finish on time, they must recognize their limits and ask for assistance. Tell me about accepting bad feedback. Your candidate must be able to take criticism calmly and respectfully. This inquiry might also reveal your candidate's enthusiasm for work improvement. Collaboration: what works? This question tests teamwork. Respect, patience, and active listening may be their response. Organize how? Most industries need organization. This question may reveal how your applicant organizes and tracks information. Your favorite aspect of this field? This question tests candidates' industry expertise. It is crucial they have researched the topic and know what they could accomplish. What do you dislike about this field? This question evaluates the candidate's understanding of the field's drawbacks and resilience in challenging situations. They have a good work ethic if they see a difficulty and want to conquer it. How does this job match your career? This inquiry might reveal your candidate's job application ambitions. If you want long-term workers, this question is crucial. What is your five-year plan? This question shows a candidate's ability to plan. It also explains their interest in the position. Why did you quit? To examine your candidate's past performance, use this question. Many applicants want a better job or a career move. Of course, tailoring your questions to be industry-specific and job-specific can be helpful, and there is no “one size fits all” approach to interviewing candidates. However, these questions can help you narrow down your possible candidates and get closer to hiring the right candidate for the position. 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Top 5 Mistakes B2B Businesses Should Stop Making Right Away

Many experts point out that running a successful B2B business is easy if you avoid making some important mistakes. Even if you are not running exceptionally sophisticated campaigns to woo newer clients, simply avoiding mistakes can give your company the much-needed boost. This is more important in the new scheme of things, especially for a post-COVID-19 business world. With 2021 just around the corner, it is essential that you pay heed to the contents of this article and ensure that you are able to avoid some if not all of these mistakes. In this article, we speak to some of the leading minds from the B2B world of marketing, sales, and logistics. We ask them about the mistakes and the way forward. List of Top 5 Mistakes B2B Businesses should stop making right away 1. Maintaining Data on External Disks- We all know how data is important to the success of any business. In the case of B2B companies, data can be the deciding factor between success and failure. Most B2B companies are still averse to maintaining data on the Cloud and prefer to use hard disks. Experts are of the opinion that in addition to the risks of data getting corrupted or being destroyed by human error, this strategy is flawed and outdated. Maintaining data on the Cloud does not only increase its security but also ensures cross-department usage of the same. 2. Using Outdated ERP and Inventory Management Tools- The next set of mistakes concerns B2B businesses still relying on age-old strategies for inventory management. With AI, ML, and Automation being offered by the best vendors, it is high-time, B2B businesses should opt for the best inventory optimization software. This will allow B2B businesses to accelerate the pace of their functions, boost the efficiency of the team, and improve customer experience. Looking after simple things like reducing the turnaround times can have a major impact on any B2B business in the world. 3. Manual Task Assignment and Follow-Ups- If you are a B2B business owner, you will agree that following up with your team members or checking the progress of their work can be a pain. Using phone calls, emails, WhatsApp and other outdated mechanisms promotes inefficiency and prevents clarity. This is why automated task assignment workflow software should be used to better employee performance. From Trello to Asana, there are many credible ones in the market, which are simple to use and will allow you to keep track of the work assignments of your employees. 4. Doubting Digital Platforms- Most business consultants point to the fact that B2B businesses and their owners are still hesitant when it comes to pursuing digital transformations. They still feel that the internet will not be able to help them fulfill their sales and marketing objectives. However, nothing can be further from the truth. Using search engines and social media in a strategic fashion can help you with a number of advantages. From reaching your target audiences to improving branding and lead generation, there is a lot to achieve from digital. 5. Taking help from External Specialised Vendors- B2B businesses think they must set up internal teams to start digital transformation or automate their processes. They fear hiring specialists. However, it does not have to be that way. By working with specialized digital marketing agencies, they can bring on an external partner firm, which can help them in multiple ways. This will ensure that they do not have to hire teams, give them systems, and spend on their office spaces. Once you start avoiding these mistakes, you will see a qualitative and quantitative transformation in your B2B business. You need to understand that the world is increasingly moving towards a digital framework, and as a business, you need to make the most of it. Common B2B Marketing Terms you Should Know Still a beginner at your B2B marketing strategies. Here is your dictionary to understand the different B2B marketing lingo. 1. What is the 80/20 Rule in B2B? The 80/20 rule simply states that 80% of a company’s revenue comes from 20% of its customers. In a business-to-business model, this highlights the need to identify and cultivate your key accounts. Therefore, concentrate on your sales resources on those customers who generate the most profit for you rather than trying to be all things to all people. You truly cannot impress anyone! 2. What is the 95/5 Rule for B2B? The 95/5 rule suggests that at any point in time, 95% of your target market is not actively buying, and only 5% are. As a result, B2B firms need to focus on consistently building brand and supplier awareness. This also includes developing relationships with customers so that they will think of them when they do go into ‘buying mode.’ B2B customers are different than dealing with one customer. Therefore, it is important you are always in their mind. 3. What are the 4Cs of B2B Marketing? The 4Cs are Client, Cost, Communication, and Convenience. In B2B marketing, it’s all about understanding the client’s needs, keeping costs in check, opening channels for communication and making sure your product or service is convenient and of value to the customer – this is what customer relationships and loyalty are built upon in the world of B2B. 4. What are the 3 Most Important Qualities of a Successful B2B Salesperson and Why? Knowledge, Persistence, and Empathy! Successful B2B salespeople must be knowledgeable, persistent, and empathic. The more knowledge you have about your product but also about the development in your industry or the general economy – the more credible person you become for your client. Because let’s face it, only real knowledge gives you power over the situation (matched with superb confidence). Every business out there looking for answers is desperately looking for someone who has all the answers. However, as we talk of successful B2B salespersons, we need to consider that they often also deal with long sales cycles. In those cases, persistence is what will make you stand out from the competition. If I shower my leads with attention every day, no other competitor can gain a share of attention. While we’re in relationships, people buy from people they “take care of them." Therefore, a successful B2B salesperson must adopt empathy when dealing with their clients. 5. How to Gain B2B Sales Experience as a Beginner? As a beginner, you can gain sales experience in B2B by shadowing your experienced sales reps, going to networking events, and taking internships or entry-level sales positions. The most valuable lessons are learned through real-world interactions, so concentrate on developing exceptional communication and negotiation abilities. Plus, never stop learning, self-reflecting, and staying on top of industry news if you want to become an expert. 6. What is the B2B Lifecycle Strategy? The B2B lifecycle strategy refers to an end-to-end management of the customer journey. This starts from leading to post-sales support by providing value at every stage, ensuring client satisfaction and loyalty through attracting, engaging, converting, and retaining clients with consistent, personalized experiences. Read Also: Top 10 B2B Marketplaces to Grow Business! 5 Most Common Digital PR Mistakes And How To Avoid Them The Right B2B E-Commerce Platforms to Sell Your Used Machinery

Seven Benefits Of Hiring A Professional Bookkeeper

Do you constantly worry about numbers adding up correctly? In today’s fast-paced world, entrepreneurs want to stay on top of all money-related matters. They want to ensure the business has sufficient cash, capital, and profits available to remain afloat in the longer run. However, as the business grows, you hire more employees and acquire more customers, keeping track of finances and employee monitoring becomes challenging. Before you start falling behind and losing track of receipts, hire a bookkeeper. Bookkeepers can take over the responsibility of maintaining records for all financial transactions. They develop a system that organizes your sales, payments, expenses, costs, and debt, helping you make sense out of numbers. Precisely, you will get a complete set of accounting records, giving an overview of the company’s financial health. In turn, you can make more informed decisions based on financial data. If you are still thinking about whether hiring a bookkeeper is worth the cost, have a look below. Here we are unfolding seven benefits of hiring a professional bookkeeper. 1. Analyzes company’s standing: Are the business revenues spiking? Is rental expense consuming a massive chunk of profits? With a bookkeeper on board, you can find answers to all these questions. They keep a close eye on numbers to find out where your company stands financially. They simplify complex information by categorizing data to promote understandability. Moreover, you can also ask bookkeepers to prepare financial statements to understand the company’s financials better. In case they lag accounting proficiency and decision-making skills, encourage them to pursue higher education. Perhaps, they could look for a master of accountancy if they only have a bachelor’s degree. Alongside finances, they will be better able to analyze financial metrics. Hence, helping you figure out where you should invest money and cut costs. 2. Prevents errors: Undeniably, mistakes can be super costly. In addition to incorrect recording information, misreporting any income or expense can lead to hefty fines from the regulatory bodies. Likewise, mixing up different types of expenses and data entry errors can result in inaccurate financial records. Professional bookkeepers with a keen understanding of finances and numbers are less likely to make mistakes. They look into all the bills, receipts, invoices and record them into accounting software. At the same time, they organize all the data promptly, ensuring your books are up to date. 3. Identifies issues in cash flows: Sometimes, businesses are earning substantial profits, yet they don’t have sufficient cash available. As bookkeepers handle day-to-day recording of invoices and receipts, they have a good handle on your income and spending habits. They closely monitor how much money is going out of the business (outflows) and coming in (inflows). The minute outflows exceed the inflows; bookkeepers will alert the upper management about cashflow problems. Additionally, they can identify problems within the cash flow. For instance, if inventory holds a lot of cash, bookkeepers will suggest managers sell it to recover the cost. Likewise, if debtors delay payments, they will suggest the accountant negotiate credit terms with creditors. 4. Accounts for tax deductibles: Amongst all business tasks, paying taxes is every entrepreneur’s least favorite. After all, no one likes giving away a chunk of profit to the government. Surprisingly, a bookkeeper can help in reducing the overall taxable income. They work together with tax specialists and account for tax deductibles to ensure you don’t overpay taxes. From depreciation, travel to revaluation expense – they account for every cost to scale down the taxable income. Similarly, they provide interim and year-end financial statements to determine the company’s annual tax obligation. Hence, you can make decisions beforehand that can modify or lower the tax bill. For instance, if the tax policies are more flexible for C corporations, you can switch from limited liability to a C corp. Besides this, having proper records can help with the tax return filing procedure too. 5. Fosters business growth: Bookkeepers can facilitate business decisions about day-to-day business operations. They can forecast seasonal ups and downs, ensuring you have sufficient capital available when revenues are low. Similarly, they encourage managers to set some funds aside when profits are spiking. Greater awareness of spending patterns and sales trends can help entrepreneurs lower operating expenses. Hence, they can save money in the long run and invest it in business growth. Additionally, not having to worry about finances gives business owners enough time to focus on other core business operations. 6. Prepares business for an audit: Until you demonstrate non-compliance with tax obligations, your business won’t go through an IRS audit. However, you have to perform an internal and external audit to assure stakeholders that your company complies with accounting standards. Luckily, having accurate records prepared by a professional bookkeeper will ensure a smooth audit process. They would have correct records to support the income tax returns. At the same time, bookkeepers organize all receipts and invoices. Thus, the auditors can see all business expenses are legitimate. It will ensure you haven’t over or understated the profits or income, regaining investors’ trust in the company. 7. Helps in securing funding: Today, lenders need accurate records and financial information before giving out a loan. After all, they have to evaluate your repayment capability to ensure you will repay the loan timely. Bookkeepers maintain complete records, showing lenders that you know the company inside out. Similarly, they outline past performance to show banks and financial institutes that you have a solid financial history. In addition to gaining the lender’s trust, you might be able to secure a loan at a lower interest rate with flexible repayments. Conclusion: In a dynamic business landscape, bookkeepers can help you through all stages of starting and growing the company. They maintain records, organize data, and keep a vigilant eye on finances. They also preserve receivable accounts and prepare payrolls. Simultaneously, bookkeepers help companies lower taxable income by accounting for tax deductibles. Having a bookkeeper on board will provide more benefits and less stress while ensuring effective financial management. 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Demystifying the Duty of a Company Secretary in Hong Kong

What is a Company Secretary?