Our Chairman (ahead of his departure from his executive director position at another company) has asked whether or not we would be willing to provide him with a full time PA going forward (which is what he is used to having). I imagine this role would go above and beyond just sorting out the bits and bobs relating to his role as Chairman of our company and therefore we question whether or not we should be providing this service.
We wanted to know the following:
– Do any other companies provide a PA for their Chairman?
– Do they limit the work done by this PA to purely company related matters?
– Would the company, by employing a PA for an independent Chairman, be compromising the Chairman’s independence?
– Where companies do not provide a PA for a company chairman what alternative, if any, has been suggested?
We dont provide a PA. The Co Sec’s PA does all board travel and accommodation. One of the Chairman’s other companies does provide him with a PA, with whom we liaise on diaries. Neither to we provide the chair with an office, although again the other company does.
We have a full time person with a dual role providing support to the Group Company Secretary (along with his Secretary) and the Group Board. This includes supporting the Chairman and NEDs with their requirements for travel, accomodation etc for board meetings/company events. She also makes most of the preparations for Board and Committee meetings. Her role does not extend beyond providing support to the directors’ in carrying out their commitments to their role with our company.
I’ve seen many non-execs over the years with different PA arrangements. The busier ones have sometimes employed a PA who comes to their office at home and works from there a few days a week. Others have use of an office provided by one of the businesses they chair, which they make their primary office where they may go in a couple of days a week, using shared PA resource, and meeting rooms which may be used for other roles occasionally. Never have I seen a request for a company to make a payment towards this cost. Any arrangement is usually agred up front as part of the appointment, covered by appointments and remuneration committees. Any change would presumably go through the same route.
We don’t provide a PA, our Chairman employs his own PA as he has numerous non-exec roles for which he requires support.