Spotlight Series #4 Michaela Johnson

As we enter a new era of technological innovation through advances in AI, it seems fitting that we recognise some of the incredible work being done by governance professionals to improve technology, systems and processes for their organisation. Michaela Golden ACG is Assistant Company Secretary at IG Group and was recently named Technology Innovator Category Winner in the 2024 Governance HOT 100, a category that received the largest year on year increase in nominations. We spoke to Michaela about her career and what it means to her to be a HOT 100 winner. Here's what she had to say...

How did you become a company secretary/governance professional?

Like many others I stumbled upon the Company Secretarial profession. After finishing my law degree, I suddenly wondered if the career as a Lawyer I had been working towards since picking GCSEs was really what I wanted to do. So, I applied for any role that sounded interesting, and this included the Grad Scheme at IG. Trading was a topic I knew nothing about, but I spent the first 12 months learning all about the products, clients and the market. I then dipped my toe in a few other departments before being approached by the Company Secretarial team who needed someone who understood the business and how to interpret regulation and statute to help implement process improvements.

I would advise all governance professionals to grab any opportunities their businesses offer to really learn about what the Company does and who the clients and other key stakeholders are, as having that extra first-hand context and internally strong network from day one has helped me greatly in my Company Secretarial career to date.

What has been your biggest career achievement to date?

I’m not sure it would be fair to pick just one. I could write about one the most high-profile project I’ve worked on, for example overhauling MAR processes, implementing automated policy repository and delegated authority solutions, or I could call out some of the most brilliant Company Secretaries I have worked with or been mentored by. However, the key thing I have learned in my career so far is that sometimes it is the small changes that we make that have the biggest impacts on our teams and within our companies. ?So really I think my constant drive to ask “what’s next” and “how can we make this better” is my biggest achievement.

Looking ahead, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing the governance profession?

Although in some ways Covid seems like a thing of the past its impact on ways of working, technology use and culture has been huge! The world seems to have progressed 10-15 years in these areas since 2020. Company Secretarial work is often seen by others as a requirement that slows down progress, however I think we are well on the way of reframing that view and keeping up or, even better, keeping ahead of ?technological changes is both our biggest challenge but also our biggest opportunity.

I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible Company Secretaries in my career so far and those that have made the biggest impact have pushed me forward, encouraged me (even from the most junior level) to speak up and share my ideas. Winning the category of technology innovator proves that allowing junior team members to think outside the box and listening to their ideas helps create amazing improvement opportunities and great future Company Secretaries.

DMJ Recruitment 's 2024 Governance HOT 100 is sponsored by Computershare Entity Solutions

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