By Edward Dankwah
Accra, July 31, GNA – Mindful Governance has organised the maiden Company Secretaries’ Summit to bring together company secretaries, legal counsel, board directors and senior governance professionals to promote excellence in corporate governance and leadership.
The day-long summit, held on the theme: “Governance as Value Creation,” sought to elevate the role of company secretaries and strengthen their contribution to corporate decision-making.
A statement issued to the Ghana News Agency said the summit ended with awards to six professionals for their outstanding contributions to corporate governance in the private sector, public sector and emerging professional categories.
It said the Company Secretary of the Year (Private Sector) award went to Mrs Helen Amponsah Asare of KGL Group of Companies Limited and Mrs Paulina Akosua Danso, Esq. of The Royal Senchi.
The Rising Star (Emerging Professional) award was presented to Mrs Gertrude Assan, Esq. of Mainstream Reinsurance Limited and Mrs. Bernice Yaa Sika Afful of First Atlantic Asset Management.
The statement added that the Board Secretary of the Year (SOE/Public Sector) award went to Mrs Trudy Lamptey of Labadi Beach Hotel and Mrs Susan Gbemu of Ghana National Gas Limited Company.
Mrs Catherine Engmann, Founder and Managing Director of Mindful Governance, said the awardees had demonstrated that effective governance was a driver of organisational performance.
She said the Company Secretaries’ Summit and Awards would become an annual event on Ghana’s corporate governance calendar, providing a national platform for company secretaries whose roles were central to board effectiveness and organisational success.
Mrs Engmann said company secretaries operated at the intersection of boards, management and stakeholders, helping to shape the quality of decisions by determining how and when critical issues reached the boardroom.
She added that the summit provided an avenue for board directors and company secretaries to discuss governance challenges and strengthen collaboration.
Mrs Maame Samma Peprah, Registrar of Companies, said although artificial intelligence (AI) could improve compliance monitoring, board administration and regulatory analysis, it could not replace professional judgement, ethical leadership and independence.
She said organisations adopting emerging technologies required strong governance frameworks to ensure innovation remained responsible and created long-term value.
The Registrar described effective corporate governance as a competitive advantage that enhanced investor confidence rather than merely serving as a legal and regulatory requirement.
Mr Karl George, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Governance AI, urged boards and governance professionals to deepen their understanding of artificial intelligence to ensure responsible oversight.
He introduced the “three As” of AI adoption — automation, augmentation and agency — and warned against the growing use of unauthorised “shadow AI” tools by employees, describing it as a major governance risk for organisations.
Mrs Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, Chief Executive Officer of Cyrus Law, challenged the perception of governance as a compliance burden, describing it as the “steering wheel” that enabled organisations to make sound and sustainable decisions.
She cautioned that many corporate failures resulted from boardrooms where critical voices were ignored or excluded, stressing the need to create environments that encouraged constructive debate.
The summit also featured sector-specific breakout sessions for private sector organisations, state-owned enterprises and governance service providers to discuss emerging governance challenges and best practices.
GNA
Edited by Audrey Dekalu