This course will be delivered as two, three-hour workshops. Delegates will be required to attend both of the virtual workshops.

Audience

This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers, or those who work in corporate roles in other sectors, who wish to develop their understanding of the role of the company secretary, the work it does and the other roles with which it interacts.

The target audience is experienced democratic and corporate services professionals who are either involved in local authority companies or other corporations, or who are interested in being so in the future.

How the course will be delivered

The course will be delivered virtually.  To maximise the delegates learning experience the course has been divided into two virtual workshops on the following dates:

The workshops will explore:

• What is a company and why one would be set up.
• The different roles on a company’s board
• The governance frameworks associated with companies and why some companies have failed in the past.
• The elements of effective company boards
• The role of the company secretary

The workshops will include plenary presentations, case studies and smaller group working, enabling delegates to learn with other people from across the country.

Trainers 

Mark Towers
The virtual workshops will be led by Mark Towers, Director of Governance and Partnerships at Blackpool Council and Matthew Kane Associate Director – Corporate Affairs and Trust Secretary Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Matthew Kane
Matthew Kane is Associate Director of Corporate Affairs at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and formerly Governance Manager/Deputy Monitoring Officer at two district councils in north Derbyshire.

Dates and times

Workshop One – Weds 5th Nov 2025, 9.30am-12.30pm
Workshop Two – Weds 12th Nov 2025, 9.30am-12.30pm

Delegates are required to attend both workshops.  Please note that you only need to book on 5th Nov course date to be able to attend both workshops.

Cost

• ADSO Member rate – £110 + VAT per person to attend the course
• Non-ADSO Member rate – £160 + VAT per person to attend the course
• ADSO Certificate in Democratic Services Knowledge Learner – Free

How to book a place

To book a place please use the online booking form via the link below.  The terms and conditions of booking can be found here.

Please note that ADSO will now only be using their Membership bank account.  The details are below:

Account Number: 23545903
Sort Code: 20-02-25

Booking requirements

• A purchase order number is required for all bookings made out to ADSO (please see note above).  Courses cannot be attended if a purchase order is not received.
• A hardcopy of the purchase order is required.
• Please provide us with your ADSO Membership number (if applicable)
• A few days after booking you will receive a calendar invite for the workshop(s).  Please note that your email address will be visible to all participants unless you advise us otherwise.
• Please send the above information to adsotraining@emcouncils.gov.uk.