SECRETARY’S ROLE

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30530, 27 August 1964, Page 12

SECRETARY’S ROLE

‘Executive, Not Recorder’ During the last 50 years the chartered secretary had btcome, instead of a mere recorder of minutes, a chief executive who was constantly in touch with his company’s policies, said the secretary of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries (Mr J. F. Phillips) last. evening. Mr Phillips, of London, is visiting Christchurch With the institute’s president, Mr E. A. Burley, of Sydney. They were welcomed to the city last evening at a dinner organised by the Canterbury division of the institute. Asked whether the use of computers during the next 50 years might make bigger changes for secretaries, Mr Phillips said computers could be used to facilitate and improve the efficiency of a business. ■

Mr Phillips and Mr BuHey agreed that computers, would never take the place of company secretaries. “It might be that secre-

taries will have to see that computers are advantageously used. We know already that they can speed up operations such as the remittance of dividends,” said Mr Burley. The institute has 30,000 members throughout the world. The Australian branch, which comprises a quarter of the total membership, is this year celebrating its golden jubilee.