Chartered Secretary Explained: The CGI Qualifying Programme Route

A company secretary is responsible for a company's statutory and governance compliance — making sure board decisions are properly recorded, filings are made on time, and the company is actually run the way company law requires. The formally recognised route to becoming a Chartered Secretary in the UK runs through the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland (CGI), formerly known as ICSA, via its Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme (CGQP).

Who can start the programme

The CGQP is unusually flexible on entry. Some routes require no prior qualifications at all, while direct entry to Part One of the programme needs either a Level 4 or higher qualification, or five or more years of relevant work experience. Graduates with a law or finance background may be granted exemptions from specific modules based on their existing degree, and members of related professional bodies — including ICSI and ICSAN — have their own exemption arrangements. Experienced professionals who already hold a relevant qualification and five or more years of post-qualifying experience can take a fast-track route, typically completing the CGQP in around a year rather than the longer standard timeline.

Programme structure: Part One

Part One sits at Level 6 and comprises four modules, each requiring roughly 200 hours of study: Company Law, Company Compliance and Administration, Interpreting Financial and Accounting Information, and Corporate Governance. Every module is assessed through a three-hour exam, held in sittings in June and November each year, giving candidates a predictable rhythm to plan study around rather than open-ended continuous assessment.

Programme structure: Part Two

Part Two moves to Level 7 and comprises three further modules, again around 200 study hours each: Development of Strategy, Risk Management, and Boardroom Dynamics. The shift from Part One to Part Two reflects a shift in focus — Part One is largely about technical knowledge of company law, compliance, and financial literacy, while Part Two is built around the strategic and interpersonal judgement a senior governance professional needs once they're actually operating in or advising a boardroom.

What completing the programme actually gets you

Finishing the CGQP awards Grad status — described by CGI as the first step on the road to full Chartered status, and the recognised professional benchmark for company secretaries and governance professionals. From there, candidates progress toward full Chartered Secretary or Chartered Governance Professional membership. Depending on prior qualifications, exemptions, and whether someone takes the fast-track route, the whole programme typically takes somewhere between two and five years to complete.

How governance qualifications fit alongside other regulatory roles

Company secretary and governance work increasingly overlaps with the kind of individual accountability now built into UK financial services regulation through the Senior Managers and Certification Regime — a firm's governance and compliance framework, and the people formally accountable for it, are two sides of the same coin. It's a genuinely different specialism from the quantitative risk-management qualifications covered in Learnsignal's guide to the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) qualification, but the two roles frequently sit on the same senior leadership team, each bringing a different kind of accountability to how a regulated business is actually run.

Why firms value the Chartered designation

For employers, a Chartered Secretary or Chartered Governance Professional brings a formally assessed, externally benchmarked standard of governance competence rather than governance knowledge picked up informally on the job. That matters particularly for listed companies and larger regulated businesses, where company secretarial and governance failures can have serious legal and reputational consequences, and where boards increasingly expect the person managing governance compliance to hold a recognised professional qualification rather than simply having accumulated years of general administrative experience. It's also a genuinely portable qualification — the same CGQP-based route into Chartered status is recognised across the UK, Ireland, and a number of other jurisdictions where CGI or its affiliated institutes operate.

Candidates who don't qualify for exemptions or the fast-track route can still plan around the programme's predictable exam calendar, since Part One and Part Two modules are both assessed in the same June and November sittings each year. That structure makes it realistic to study alongside a full-time governance or company secretarial role, sitting one or two modules per exam period rather than needing to step away from work entirely to complete the qualification.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a degree to start the Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme?
Not necessarily — some routes require no prior qualifications, though direct entry to Part One needs a Level 4 or higher qualification or five or more years of relevant experience.

How long does it take to become a Chartered Secretary?
Typically two to five years, depending on prior qualifications, exemptions, and whether you're eligible for the fast-track route available to experienced professionals.

Is Grad status the same as being a Chartered Secretary?
No — Grad status is awarded on completing the CGQP and is described as the first step toward full Chartered status, which comes after further progression.