Group Governance Manager - Selfridges Group

Group Governance Manager

Company Context

The Selfridges Group is comprised of Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland, Selfridges in the UK and de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands, all of which are successful department stores in their own right. Although part of an overarching group structure, the business has purposefully sought to maintain the individuality of each brand (we call them our “banners”) and as such they all have a distinct positioning, in keeping with their local market and the customers that they serve.

The Selfridges Group Central Team is made up of around 40 people whose purpose is to support the banners in thought leadership, cross-group project management, reporting and governance. Our culture is a dynamic and fast-paced one, and those with a pro-active mind-set, strong communication skills and an international perspective will find Selfridges Group an exciting, challenging and fulfilling organisation in which to work.

We are looking for a dynamic Governance Manager to join the SG Legal team.

Know the Role

As part of this, you will be responsible for:

Oversight of Group Company Secretarial function – assisting with Companies House filings, record keeping including maintenance of the books and records of the relevant UK Group companies and liaising with external Co Sec support
Liaise with CFO, Head of Legal and shareholders on governance issues
Own Delegation of Authority, Terms of Reference, shareholder governance and entity management, including cascading as appropriate down to subsidiary companies;
Act as a point of contact for internal and external stakeholders on routine governance matters, including external auditors;
Manage key Governance workstreams; legal and regulatory compliance and best practice, embedding and amending as appropriate the Group Corporate Governance Framework and Delegation of Authority;
Assisting in the organisation of Board and Audit Committee meetings, arranging meeting agendas, materials, taking minutes and drafting resolutions;
Facilitate the Annual Accounts review and sign-off process, including drafting accounts disclosures and filing accounts for our UK entities;
Develop, embed and maintain group governance policies, procedures and controls;
Manage communications with shareholders, including shareholder approvals and general meetings;
Assist with delivery of corporate transactions including share issuances and transfers, dividends and other corporate actions from a corporate governance perspective;
Monitor, interpret and apply new UK regulatory corporate governance requirements impacting Selfridges Group, e.g. ECCTA, new Sustainability reporting obligations (ESG), potential for Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting;
Promote ethical practices across the Group to ensure compliance with Code of Ethics and related Group Policies;
Assist with annual public reporting requirements e.g. Annual Report, UK Tax Strategy Statement, Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), Modern Slavery Statement and Gender Pay Gap;
Support our Sustainability programme, including advising on compliance with Modern Slavery legislation and drafting our Selfridges Group Modern Slavery Statement;
Work across the Group teams, including tax, sustainability, audit, insurance in relation to governance matters.
Develop and deliver training on key corporate governance matters e.g. yearly directors’ duties training and any new and emerging corporate governance legislation.

Key Skills & Experience

The successful candidate:

Qualifications/ Training

Excellent academics and great legal/company secretary/governance experience, relevant to this role and this business
Governance related qualifications, or the willingness to work towards qualifications in corporate governance.

Experience

At least 5 years’ experience in governance, compliance, or corporate administration.
Strong knowledge of corporate governance frameworks, including reporting lines (entity, statutory, functional) and escalation procedures.
Working for or within a corporate group with overseas subsidiaries
Strong corporate governance experience in a large private UK company, and candidate able to demonstrate an understanding of an in-house role, its pace, demands and requirements
Experience working in a retail environment desirable but not essential
Knowledge/background in corporate governance for large private companies
Knowledge/background in working across multiple business areas with Co Sec/legal/compliance/governance/risk at the core of the role
Knowledge/experience with the application of relevant corporate governance legislation to large private company groups

Technical Skills

Company Secretary law and UK regulatory and compliance
Advising and supporting fast moving projects with multiple work streams
Ability to liaise with senior Stakeholders on governance related matters.
Knowledge and experience of advising on some or all of the following:
Corporate Governance
Corporate law
Compliance such as suite of financial crime legislation (AML, ECCTA, CFA), directors’ duties or other regulatory matters, other regulatory matters

Personal Attributes/ Behavioural Skills

Positive, self‐driven and resourceful
Excellent problem‐solving, analytical and organisational skills
Sense of curiosity and creativity
Sound interpersonal and communication skills
Respectful and challenging - able to influence business stakeholders
Excellent written and spoken English
Excellent attention to detail, even whilst working under pressure
Ability to work collaboratively across functions and comfortable working with senior stakeholders
A commercial and pragmatic approach to governance and compliance issues
An ability to distil complex issues into concise and user-friendly advice or documents
Resilient, able to work under pressure and meet deadlines
Able to adapt, change pace or direction and multi-task
Ability to work independently
A strong work ethic and an unwavering commitment to our values