The Quiet Value of Governance: Gary Gray on the Evolving Role of the Company Secretary

| 05 May 2026 | 4:18 pm

Gary Gray

For Gary Gray, being recognised as a Band One practitioner by Chambers means more than a personal milestone. It’s a reflection of a quiet but meaningful evolution of the company secretarial profession itself.

Gary, Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute, and Head of Governance and Company Secretarial Services UK, is part of the Pinsent Masons Vario’s Company Secretarial team, which has also been ranked as Band One for the second consecutive year. Beyond rankings, what stands out is, shaped by over 28 years’ experience, the perspective he brings, his view of where the profession is heading, and why it matters.

Like many working in governance, this was not a career Gary had mapped out from the start: “I went to university with no clear vision for what I was going to do afterwards; I fell into this work by a happy accident.”

In 1998, Gary took on a role providing company secretarial services in a legal services role. It could have been just another job, but instead, something clicked. He connected with the structure of the work: the way governance sits across an organisation, connects decisions, people and processes, and helps businesses operate on a fundamental level.

Throughout Gary's nearly three-decade tenure in the company secretarial field, his career has grown alongside a profession that was developing and evolving in real time. During his early career, the perception of the company secretary role lagged behind the reality of the work. "When I first started in this area, there was often an assumption that the role was purely administrative. That perception was something I had to work hard to challenge and move beyond."

That perception has deep roots. In 1887, Lord Esher MR described the Company Secretary as, “a mere servant” who must “do what he is told.” It's a line that, while wildly outdated, speaks to how the role has historically been viewed.

The reality today could not be more different.

As organisations are being held to higher standards and governance expectations have grown, the importance of the company secretary role has grown with it. Increased scrutiny from regulators, investors, and stakeholders, and the systems, processes and oversight that underpin good governance are business-critical.

For Gary, this shift is something he’s seen play out over time, “Our real value will be obvious to anyone who has worked with a good company secretary.” The role is not administrative, but connective. It brings structure to decision-making, ensures accountability, and helps organisations navigate complex governance issues with confidence. “Governance is the thread that runs through the business,” Gary puts it simply.

That connectivity shows up in the day-to-day of the company secretary role, and is a big part of why the Pinsent Masons’ team is recognised as a Band One practice. What really sets a Band One team apart isn’t just strong execution. It’s the ability to stay one step ahead: spotting risks early, offering commercially-focused advice, and getting involved at the right moment when challenges start to arise.

It works because of the way the team operates. There’s a genuine collective mindset: people supporting each other, sharing insights openly, and constantly strengthening their capabilities together. The result is something that goes beyond individual expertise; clients benefit from the depth and consistency of team that provides joined-up excellence every day.

This is what makes Gary’s Chambers recognition particularly meaningful. It acknowledges his own experience and expertise, but, more importantly, it shines a well-deserved light on a profession that has often operated just below the surface. That visibility matters, especially in environments where the value of governance can still be misunderstood or underestimated.

In organisations that understand our value, we’re part and parcel of the board… the commercial conscience of the company providing credible, strategic advice.

It’s a role built on trust. At its most effective, this extends beyond a single function to a partnership between in-house and private practice company secretaries. As in-house teams are increasingly expected to operate at a strategic level, external support plays a complementary role, bringing specialist governance expertise, additional capacity and an independent perspective. Governance is therefore embedded seamlessly into the organisation and elevating it from a service to a core part of business infrastructure.

The shift from support function to strategic partner is one Gary has actively embraced throughout his career. And it’s one he believes will only continue. As governance expectations continue to increase, so too does the pressure on business to get it right.

For many organisations, what once felt manageable starts to become more complex. Greater scrutiny. More risk.

That is often where Gary and his team come in, and the value they bring is more than just meeting obligations; it’s about what their support unlocks. With the confidence in compliance that a company secretary brings, business leaders get back the bandwidth to focus on what really matters: the strategic operational work. It’s a subtle shift, but an important one. Governance, done properly, creates the right conditions for progress and better decisions.

For Gary, part of what makes that possible is the environment he works in.

Being part of a global law firm gives obvious advantages: we have the capability to collaborate and draw from specialist expertise, so we get to provide a one-stop-shop for our clients.” But what might sound large scale on paper doesn’t translate into an impersonal faceless service.

For Gary, the real value lies in how the team works with clients day-to-day. Consistency and trust are key. Being reliable matters. It’s what turns a service into a relationship, and, ultimately, into something clients can depend on. Gary and his team work alongside clients, getting to know how they operate, understanding the pressures they face, and becoming a steady part of how things run. "We’re not just doing a task and moving on. We’re part of the journey.”

And it’s that sense of journey that Gary finds most rewarding. Looking back, it’s not just the work that stands out, but the role he’s played in a company’s growth. Helping put the right foundations in place. “I’ve seen companies become massive successes that I supported with the incorporation!” A reflection that shows that governance, at its best, isn’t just about control or compliance. It’s about enabling businesses to grow and giving the confidence to keep moving forwards.

As the role continues to evolve, its scope only looks to broaden. Technology, automation, and increasingly AI-driven tools are driving a shift away from administrative tasks towards higher-value advisory work. At the same time, governance continues to expand in areas such as ESG, stakeholder engagement and organisational culture, positioning the company secretary even closer to the centre of decision-making.

For Gary personally, seeing the profession grow and find new ways to demonstrate value is incredibly rewarding.

“I’m the happiest I’ve been in my career.”

Not because of the recognition alone, but because of the work itself, the impact it has, and the relationships he builds. At its core, that is what good governance should do. Enable, support, and, often quietly, make everything else work better.

The Quiet Value of Governance: Gary Gray on the Evolving Role of the Company Secretary

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