Associateship: Application Guidelines

Chartered Secretary and Chartered Governance Professional

Chartered membership is the gold standard for company secretaries and governance professionals. It is highly valued by employers and is globally recognised as a mark that confirms you have the knowledge, skills, and experience for a role with significant and wide-ranging responsibilities. It also demonstrates that you are committed to maintaining standards within the profession and you have a commitment to your own professional development.

Associateship recognises experienced governance professionals and company secretaries who are excelling in their careers, who are demonstrating a commitment to the profession and to promoting and maintaining the highest standards in governance.

As an Associate you will be entitled to use the post nominals ACG, to illustrate your professional standing in the governance community. You can continue to use your chartered designations which provide public assurance that you have the necessary skills and qualifications, and you are committed to your own professional development and to maintaining excellent standards in governance.

In this guidance we will cover the following:

A.    Eligibility requirements

B.    Application Form:

• Career History
• Supporters
• Character and standing
• Final Declarations

C.    How is my application assessed?

D.    How long will my application take to process?

A: Eligibility requirements

Associates represent the best governance professionals working in the UK and abroad. You will demonstrate integrity and uphold the values of the Chartered Governance Institute. As an Associate, you will use your knowledge and skills effectively for the advancement of not only your own professional development but that of others too.

Associateship reflects the wide variety of roles a company secretary or governance professional has, recognising your high levels of skill and experience.

To be eligible for Associateship, you will:

1. Have passed the institutes exams.
2. Have held a role within governance for six or three years. If you have completed our fast-track qualification, then you will need to have gained this experience after qualifying.
3. Be a fit and proper person.

We also recommend being involved in and evidencing active involvement in CGI activities. By pro-actively engaging with the Institute and helping to shape its future, members will benefit from professional networking and the advantages of related CPD.

The six-year qualifying period can be reduced to three years if you have any of the following:

• a degree from a university which the Institute considers of suitable academic standing.
• a diploma or other certificate which is nationally recognised as being equivalent to a degree from such a university.
• a professional qualification which the Institute recognises as justifying the reduction; or
• completed any other professional development that the Institute decides justifies a reduction.

Supporting documents

There is no supporting documentation required for the associate application.

B: Application form

In this section we will talk you through the main areas of the application form. Aside from the basic information we need to process your application, there are also several different areas which are essential when assessing your application. Missing any of these key areas could lead to delays and prolong your Associateship journey.

In the initial sections of the application forms, you will be asked to check that the details we have on file for you are correct, for example your address details, if you notice that the information is incorrect, then you should take this opportunity to update your information.

Career History

In this section you are asked to provide your career history. You will need to provide details of your job roles and responsibilities, highlighting your governance experience within the relevant roles. You need to provide the details in reverse chronological order, starting with your most current role.

When writing out your roles and responsibilities, make sure you use assertive language that really showcases your governance experience. 

You do not need to provide a copy of your CV, please make sure you add all your roles and responsibilities for each entry in this section.

Supporters

In this section of the form, you are asked to provide two supporters for your application. Recommendations are made by two individuals of professional standing, who have known you for at least one year. It is not a requirement that they hold ACG or FCG status, however, where possible we do strongly encourage it. 

Any personal relationships with yourself must be declared in all circumstances by indicating ‘yes’ on the application form. Recommendations may come from a relative where they are an Associate or a Fellow of the Institute, unless you are directly employed by or report to that relative. In this instance, please contact our Member Support for further guidance.

You will be asked to provide the following information:

• Name
• Email address
• Grade of membership - if your supporter is an associate or fellow of the CGI then you need to state this and there is a space for this on the online form
• How long they’ve known you for

As well as knowing you for at least one year, one of your supporters must be senior to you. This can be your line manager, the CEO, Chair of a Board. If you are self-employed or have not been in your current employment for a year, you will be asked to provide the details of a third supporter.

You must ensure your supporters know that you have provided us with their details. Once you have submitted your application the Membership Journey Team will reach out to each of your supporters and ask them to sign a declaration confirming their support of your application. They will have 5 working days to send this back to us so that we can complete the initial assessment of your application. Any delay in returning the declaration will result in delays to your application being processed.

Character and standing

In this section, you are required to declare that you are a ‘fit and proper person’. In our byelaws this links directly to your character and includes the concepts of honesty, solvency, and competence. You can find more information in Byelaws 4 and 6, these can be found on our website CGI Byelaws.

We therefore ask you to complete three questions in direct relation to your character and standing:

Question 1: Are you an undischarged bankrupt, or are your affairs currently subject to an arrangement with creditors or other external administration, or are any such proceedings pending against you?

This relates directly to the solvency of the applicant and would include any sequestration order, compromise, or deed of arrangement with your creditors.

Question 2: Have you been convicted of an offence (other than a spent conviction) of such a nature that, had you been a member of the Institute at the time, would have been likely to have given rise to disciplinary action being taken against you by the Institute under byelaw 24.8?

This relates to:

• any offence involving fraud or other dishonesty under legislation (whether in the UK or not) relating to companies, building societies, credit unions, friendly societies, insurance, banking or other financial services, insolvency, consumer credit or consumer protection.
• any other offence not in (a) above including criminal convictions, in a civilian or military court, involving fines, suspended sentences, or terms of imprisonment. You may exclude non-criminal traffic offences.

Question 3: Have you conducted yourself, whether by act, neglect, or default, in a manner that, had you been a member of the Institute at the time:

• Might have been or;
• Is likely to have been;

discreditable to the Institute having regard to The Chartered Governance Institute code of professional ethics and conduct; or if you are admitted as a member of the Institute, may be discreditable to the Institute having regard to the Institute’s code of professional ethics and conduct? 

This relates to:

• Disciplinary action including criticism, censure, fine or exclusion from membership of any professional body or organisation (whether in the UK or not)
• Disqualification by court or other statutory or regulatory body from acting as a director of a company, or from acting in the management or conduct of the affairs of any company partnerships or incorporated association.

Final Declarations

In this section you are asked to confirm that if you are happy for us to publish your name in our magazine once you have gained fellowship. You are also asked to declare that you abide by the CGI Bye-Laws.

Once you have completed this stage you will be taken to our payment portal where you will need to pay the upgrade fee.