Home
Jobs
Upload CV
Find Talent
Careers
The 2026 Barclay Simpson Salary Survey & Recruitment Trends Guide: Company Secretarial
Barclay Simpson has been producing market reports across the areas we recruit for since 1990. For the 2026 edition of our Salary Survey and Recruitment Trends Guide for the company secretarial market, we surveyed company secretaries and the organisations that employ them to learn their views on the issues affecting the profession.
This includes trends within the employment market directly, as well as broader developments shaping company secretarial jobs, such as artificial intelligence and equality, diversity and inclusion. We also examine current salary trends and provide the latest salary ranges for company secretary roles.
Company secretary jobs market
The company secretarial (CoSec) recruitment market has remained reasonably active over the last year, with many organisations continuing to make good governance a business priority.
Hiring activity has not been uniformly strong, however; the second half of 2025 was quieter than the first and that has continued into 2026. That said, there is clear demand for skilled candidates who can work closely with boards and bring structure, rigour and confidence to their decision-making.
“Good governance remains front and centre for many businesses, and demand is often highest for company secretaries with an array of skills in addition to typical board support,” says Tom Boulderstone, Head of Company Secretarial and Governance at Barclay Simpson.
“Employers want candidates with the gravitas to give boards confidence, the thoroughness to get the detail right and the judgement to balance strategic priorities with the day-to-day demands of board reporting.”
It is worth noting, though, that while many smaller or mid-size organisations are keen to have strong governance processes, they do not always need a gold-standard framework designed for much larger or more complex businesses. The most suitable company secretaries are often those who can bring a proportionate approach to governance without creating unnecessary friction or slowing down decision-making.
Overall, hiring has been most visible at the junior to mid-level, with fewer company secretarial jobs available at the more senior end of the market. Nevertheless, organisations are keen to find candidates who have the potential to develop into larger roles over time.
“Succession planning remains a major priority for many CoSec teams, especially in small and mid-sized organisations,” says Mario Pafundi, Consultant at Barclay Simpson.
“Hiring often occurs at the Assistant and Senior Assistant Company Secretary level, where employers want people who can do the job today, but also step up into Deputy Company Secretary or Company Secretary roles over time.”
Meanwhile, company secretaries themselves remain optimistic about the opportunities available to them in the current market — 92% of professionals polled in our annual Candidate Survey said they are confident about their prospects.
When asked what the biggest challenges to securing a new role are, the most common complaint was that too few jobs were being advertised (58% of candidates). Respondents also highlighted that the salaries and day rates being offered were too low (39%) and recruitment processes were often challenging (33%).
What are the biggest challenges to securing a new role at the moment?
| Challenge | % of candidates |
|---|---|
| Too few jobs being advertised | 58% |
| Advertised salaries or day rates are too low | 39% |
| Challenging recruitment processes | 33% |
| Hesitant to move from current role | 27% |
| Other | 6% |
Respondents could select all options that applied.
CoSecs showing nuanced career priorities
Each year, we ask professionals to rank, in order of importance, their reasons for looking for a new company secretary job. The results from our latest survey show a balanced spread of considerations, with no priority emerging as a clear frontrunner.
A better work-life balance was the most commonly cited first choice among candidates (25%), though this was only narrowly ahead of career development, job security and remuneration (all 23%).
Notably, company secretarial is the only profession across our surveys where work-life balance topped the list of employment priorities, albeit marginally. Job security also ranked higher than in the other disciplines that we recruit for.
What is your main priority when considering a new role?
| Priority | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Work-life balance | 25% | 11% |
| Remuneration | 23% | 44% |
| Career development | 23% | 17% |
| Job security | 23% | 17% |
| Remote working | 6% | 11% |
| Better benefits | 0% | 0% |
This trend partly reflects the gender profile of the profession. More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents to our survey were women, and they placed far greater emphasis on a good work-life balance and job security than men, who tended to prioritise remuneration and career development.
Even so, remuneration appears to have slipped as a primary motivator overall. The share of CoSecs ranking it first has nearly halved over the last year, falling from 44% to 23%. The shift suggests greater caution in what has been an uncertain jobs market, with more candidates focusing on factors like stability and long-term progression rather than pay.
“Unfortunately for candidates, the search for a better work-life balance could prove difficult at the moment, given that employers are starting to expect employees in the office more, not less,” says Mario Pafundi, Consultant at Barclay Simpson.
In 2024, only 16% of organisations required CoSecs on-site four or five days a week. This figure is now 27% and has risen every year since 2022. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that 38% of professionals say that remote working is the job benefit they value the most, ranking it higher than both an annual bonus (27%) and private healthcare (19%).
Which job benefits do company secretaries value the most?
| Benefit | % of candidates |
|---|---|
| Remote working | 38% |
| Annual bonus | 27% |
| Private healthcare | 19% |
| Flexible working | 11% |
| Other | 5% |
In an employer-led market, organisations currently set the terms on issues such as flexible working. But the distance between candidates’ preferences and employer expectations is likely to become an increasing area of contention in 2026. Firms unwilling to compromise could find themselves at a disadvantage when the competition for talent intensifies once again.
AI in company secretarial recruitment
Last year, the UK Government announced a number of major reforms aimed at driving growth, creating jobs and boosting British businesses by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI).
OECD estimates suggest that AI could improve productivity in the UK by up to 1.2 percentage points every year over the next decade, second only to the US in the G7. Increasing AI adoption within organisations could also unlock as much as £140 billion in annual economic output.
Among governance professionals specifically, opinions towards AI are more mixed. Nearly three-quarters (74%) have concerns about the technology’s impact on reporting accuracy but 50% expect AI to positively affect their job nonetheless, according to the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.
But what impact is the technology having on the company secretarial profession? In this, our 2026 Company Secretarial Salary Survey and Recruitment Trends Guide, we examine how AI is currently being used by CoSec teams, and what candidates make of its role in the hiring process.
AI expectations take shape in CoSec functions
AI is starting to feature more prominently in CoSec teams, with the clearest near-term uses sitting around preparing minutes, action tracking and producing board materials.
In our 2025 In-House Legal and Company Secretarial report, we noted that just 8% of company secretaries were using AI to take minutes or help with the preparation of minutes at their organisation, according to a GC100 poll. But more recent evidence suggests adoption is now rising. Earlier this year, a survey from Diligent showed that 58% of global company secretaries and GCs are now using AI within their functions, while 64% said AI governance will be the most critical skill for them to develop over the next three years.
This aligns with what we are seeing in recruitment. Employers are not yet usually looking for company secretaries who can claim deep AI expertise. But they are showing increased interest in candidates who are curious, pragmatic and open to AI as a useful productivity tool.
“AI is beginning to influence hiring decisions for company secretaries, particularly at the senior end of the market. In some cases, it has been a key differentiator between candidates,” says Tom Boulderstone, Head of Company Secretarial and Governance at Barclay Simpson.
“Businesses want leaders who are willing to test new AI tools and think practically about where they could save time, whether that is through transcription, smart meeting reports or more efficient meeting documentation.”
That open-mindedness is becoming increasingly important. The technology may still be developing, but candidates who dismiss AI altogether risk appearing out of step with how the function is beginning to evolve.
Caution around AI use in hiring
When it comes to using AI in company secretarial recruitment, there appears to be some hesitation among both employers and candidates about utilising the technology within hiring processes.
Our surveys show that approximately 43% of organisations are currently using AI during recruitment, and yet 67% tell us they do not believe it makes the process more efficient nor more effective. The most common AI use cases among those using the technology for hiring were CV screening and shortlisting (56% of organisations), writing and targeting job ads (48%) and interview support (44%).
How are you currently using AI within your recruitment processes?
| How AI is used in recruitment processes | % of employers |
|---|---|
| CV screening and shortlisting | 56% |
| Writing and targeting job ads | 48% |
| Interview support | 44% |
| Sourcing candidates | 23% |
| Candidate communications and scheduling | 16% |
Respondents could select all options that applied.
While the majority (66%) of employers said they did not see AI as a threat to the integrity of their recruitment processes, there were concerns over how AI might affect certain areas of hiring. The most common fear was the lack of accuracy in CVs, which was cited by nearly three-quarters (74%) of organisations.
What concerns you the most about the impact of AI in recruitment?
| Concern | % of employers |
|---|---|
| Integrity of information on CVs | 74% |
| Quality of candidate sourcing and selection | 56% |
| Candidate impersonation | 46% |
| Integrity of interviews | 37% |
Respondents could select all options that applied.
And it appears company secretary candidates also have reservations about AI. While a sizeable minority (44%) of candidates have not noticed employers using AI in the recruitment process, of those that have, 68% claim it worsens the experience overall. Furthermore, 54% believe it neither makes recruitment more effective nor more efficient, and only one in ten feel it achieves both.
What impact does AI have on recruitment processes?
Candidates
Employers
Despite this scepticism, 32% of company secretaries said AI improves the recruitment process. This was the highest figure among all of the disciplines we surveyed, suggesting that company secretaries are more open to utilising AI for recruitment within the function than other governance professionals.
Even so, 69% of company secretaries said they had never used AI themselves to improve their chances during a job application, which is broadly in line with our responses across other governance functions.
“AI still feels like it is in a ramping-up phase across many functions. Over the next three to five years, we could see much faster growth in this space, but for now, many professionals are waiting to see what the wider impact will be,” says Mario Pafundi, Consultant at Barclay Simpson.
Have you used AI to improve your chances during a job application?
Equality, diversity and inclusion across company secretarial
At Barclay Simpson, we are committed to building diverse and inclusive workplaces where everyone’s contributions are respected and valued. Recruiters are in a unique position to promote the benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the world of employment, and we believe agencies should not only embrace these values internally, but also promote and support them across their wider communities.
This is now our second year of collecting EDI-focused data from our annual market report surveys, allowing us to draw deeper insights from our communities on these important issues.
EDI policies facing challenges
When US President Donald Trump took office last year, he immediately signed Executive Orders to revoke long-standing affirmative action programmes for federal contractors and organisations that receive government funding. These measures are US-led, but they have created wider uncertainty for international businesses, particularly those headquartered or with significant operations in the US.
Indeed, many large businesses have scaled back or abandoned EDI initiatives and targets, including Meta, McDonald’s, Walmart, IBM and Goldman Sachs. While some firms, including McDonald’s, have confirmed they remain committed to EDI programmes in the UK, unions have raised concerns that scaling back these policies is likely to hamper the country’s diversity and inclusion efforts.
Company secretaries can play a valuable role in helping boards keep pace with the governance expectations around EDI, from diversity in board composition and succession planning to workforce reporting and public disclosures. Notably, however, our Candidate Survey revealed that company secretaries are somewhat divided on whether their organisation continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to EDI. Some 60% of professionals agreed or strongly agreed that their employer does, but 40% either disagreed or were neutral.
Yet despite a more challenging political backdrop overall, many company secretaries told us they still place significant value on EDI. An overwhelming 92% of candidates said equality, diversity and inclusion are important principles to them personally, with 49% saying they are ‘very important’.
A sizeable majority of employers also agree that a committed approach to EDI can help strengthen their teams, with 86% agreeing that it is either important or very important to attracting or retaining strong candidates.
Candidates
How important is EDI to you personally?
“My organisation demonstrates a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion”
Is EDI making a difference?
When we asked employers whether their organisation had effectively achieved an equal, diverse and inclusive culture, nearly three quarters (74%) agreed they had. Encouragingly, nine out of ten respondents also confirmed EDI was personally important to them.
However, there appears to be a slight disconnect between organisations and their company secretaries on whether or not EDI policies are making a real difference in the workplace. Less than half (46%) of company secretaries agreed that they were, while 54% either disagreed or felt they had a neutral impact.
“My organisation has an effective culture of EDI”
(Employers)
My organisation’s commitment to EDI makes a real difference
(Candidates)
The gap suggests that many organisations still have work to do in making EDI feel tangible to the people on the inside of the business. Policies and statements are important, but employees also need to see those commitments reflected in everyday decisions and access to opportunities.
What is the biggest EDI challenge your company faces?
| EDI challenge | % employers |
|---|---|
| How to increase representation among leadership/Board roles | 38% |
| Building a fair hiring process | 15% |
| Motivating stakeholders | 12% |
| Fear of getting things wrong | 10% |
| Setting and tracking key performance indicators | 9% |
| Achieving pay equity | 7% |
| Insufficient employee EDI data | 7% |
| Lack of access to EDI skilled HR resource | 2% |
One key challenge is that the areas where EDI is most visible can be among the hardest and slowest to change. This came through clearly in our Employer Survey, where increasing representation among leadership and board roles continued to be the most commonly cited barrier to creating a diverse and inclusive culture, chosen by 38% of organisations. Building a fair hiring process (15%), motivating stakeholders (12%) and a fear of getting things wrong (10%) were also frequently mentioned problems.
For companies serious about EDI, accessing accurate information and insights is crucial. Organisations have a better chance of fostering a sense of belonging and making a positive difference in the workplace by listening to both employees and experts who can provide input on what really matters when it comes to EDI.
If you would like to know more about any of the diversity-related findings in this report or the EDI advice and support we can provide, please contact us today.
Salary and bonus trends for company secretary jobs
Starting salaries for CoSec jobs have remained broadly flat over the last 12 months, despite good governance continuing to be a focus for many organisations. There has been slightly more upward pressure on pay for junior and mid-level positions, as this is where market demand has been strongest. For more senior roles, however, starting salaries have been relatively static.
“Organisations are keen to shore up their governance, but reduced budgets have acted as a constraint on both hiring and salaries over the last year,” says Tom Boulderstone, Head of Company Secretarial and Governance at Barclay Simpson.
“The underlying need for good company secretaries is still there, and we believe there is clear headroom for salaries to improve once broader economic and business conditions recover.”
Overall, 83% of organisations believe candidates’ salary expectations were at least somewhat aligned with what they were able to offer, with CoSec roles at listed companies continuing to pay a premium over their non-listed counterparts. Starting salaries can be as much as 20% higher at the same level of seniority, reflecting the additional regulatory scrutiny and board-level complexity of operating in a public market environment.
Looking ahead, base salary uplifts for those who remain in their current role will likely remain relatively modest for the remainder of 2026. Our Employer Survey revealed that roughly three-quarters (74%) of organisations only intend to increase salaries by between 1–4% this year.
And while 16% of employers will offer higher pay increases of 5%+, one in ten don’t plan to raise base salaries at all. With regards to annual bonuses, 83% believe they will remain either static or fall slightly.
How much do you intend to increase base salaries for existing employees?
| Planned average salary increase | % of employers |
|---|---|
| 0% | 10% |
| 1–4% | 74% |
| 5–10% | 13% |
| 11–15% | 2% |
| 16–20% | 1% |
Are you expecting employee bonuses to increase this year?
Company secretarial salaries
The following tables provide an overview of current salary benchmarks for key company secretarial roles. Figures reflect average base salaries for professionals working across London, the South East and the rest of the UK.
Investment banking salaries
| Job role | London | South East | Regional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Support (0-1 year’s exp) | £25k–£40k | £25k–£35k | £25k–£35k |
| CoSec Assistant (2-3 years’ exp) | £40k–£60k | £35k–£55k | £35k–£55k |
| Assistant CoSec (4-5 years’ exp) | £60k–£80k | £50k–£75k | £50k–£75k |
| Senior CoSec (6-7 years’ exp) | £80k–£100k | £70k–£100k | £70k–£100k |
| Deputy CoSec (8+ years’ exp) | £100k–£130k | £100k–£120k | £110k–£120k |
| Company Secretary | £150k–£220k | £100k–£180k | £100k–£180k |
| Group Company Secretary | £180k–£250k+ | £160k–£200k | £150k–£200k |
Asset management / wealth management salaries
| Job role | London | South East | Regional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Support (0-1 year’s exp) | £25k–£40k | £25k–£35k | £25k–£35k |
| CoSec Assistant (2-3 years’ exp) | £40k–£60k | £35k–£55k | £35k–£55k |
| Assistant CoSec (4-5 years’ exp) | £60k–£80k | £50k–£75k | £50k–£75k |
| Senior CoSec (6-7 years’ exp) | £80k–£100k | £70k–£100k | £70k–£100k |
| Deputy CoSec (8+ years’ exp) | £100k–£130k | £100k–£120k | £110k–£120k |
| Company Secretary | £150k–£220k | £100k–£180k | £100k–£180k |
| Group Company Secretary | £180k–£250k+ | £160k–£200k | £150k–£200k |
Hedge funds / private equity salaries
| Job role | London |
|---|---|
| Board Support (0-1 year’s exp) | £25k–£40k |
| CoSec Assistant (2-3 years’ exp) | £40k–£60k |
| Assistant CoSec (4-5 years’ exp) | £60k–£80k |
| Senior CoSec (6-7 years’ exp) | £80k–£100k |
| Deputy CoSec (8+ years’ exp) | £100k–£130k |
| Company Secretary | £150k–£220k |
| Group Company Secretary | £180k–£250k+ |
Insurance salaries
| Job role | London | South East | Regional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Support (0-1 year’s exp) | £25k–£40k | £25k–£35k | £25k–£35k |
| CoSec Assistant (2-3 years’ exp) | £40k–£60k | £35k–£55k | £35k–£55k |
| Assistant CoSec (4-5 years’ exp) | £60k–£80k | £50k–£75k | £50k–£75k |
| Senior CoSec (6-7 years’ exp) | £80k–£100k | £70k–£100k | £70k–£100k |
| Deputy CoSec (8+ years’ exp) | £100k–£130k | £100k–£120k | £110k–£120k |
| Company Secretary | £140k–£220k | £100k–£180k | £100k–£180k |
| Group Company Secretary | £150k–£240k+ | £140k–£200k | £140k–£200k |
Commerce FTSE 100 salaries
| Job role | London | South East | Regional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Support (0-1 year’s exp) | £25k–£40k | £25k–£35k | £25k–£35k |
| CoSec Assistant (2-3 years’ exp) | £40k–£60k | £35k–£55k | £35k–£55k |
| Assistant CoSec (4-5 years’ exp) | £60k–£80k | £50k–£75k | £50k–£75k |
| Senior CoSec (6-7 years’ exp) | £80k–£100k | £70k–£100k | £70k–£100k |
| Deputy CoSec (8+ years’ exp) | £100k–£150k | £100k–£140k | £110k–£140k |
| Company Secretary | £170k–£250k | £150k–£225k | £150k–£225k |
| Group Company Secretary | £200k–£300k+ | £180k–£250k | £180k–£250k |
Commerce FTSE 250 salaries
| Job role | London | South East | Regional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Support (0-1 year’s exp) | £25k–£40k | £25k–£35k | £25k–£35k |
| CoSec Assistant (2-3 years’ exp) | £40k–£60k | £35k–£55k | £35k–£55k |
| Assistant CoSec (4-5 years’ exp) | £60k–£80k | £50k–£75k | £50k–£75k |
| Senior CoSec (6-7 years’ exp) | £80k–£100k | £70k–£100k | £70k–£100k |
| Deputy CoSec (8+ years’ exp) | £100k–£130k | £100k–£120k | £110k–£120k |
| Company Secretary | £140k–£220k | £100k–£180k | £100k–£180k |
| Group Company Secretary | £150k–£240k+ | £140k–£200k | £140k–£200k |
Attract and retain the company secretarial and governance professionals you need with Barclay Simpson
Barclay Simpson has recruited company secretarial and governance professionals since 2008. We recruit at all levels, from Company Secretarial Assistant to Group Company Secretary, across all economic sectors, for both listed and privately owned businesses. The role of the company secretarial function continues to evolve, and its importance to business success, corporate stewardship and governance is widely acknowledged.
If you are seeking to enhance your company secretarial and governance function, our consultants can leverage their experience to help you develop an effective talent acquisition and remuneration strategy to enable you to secure top-quality governance professionals. And if you are a company secretary, we can also find you a role that aligns with your skills and long-term career goals, as well as support you from interview through to salary negotiations.
Contact us today for a confidential initial consultation.
