Apex Group (Apex), a global financial services provider, has been appointed by Bank of Communications Limited (Bocom), the fifth-largest bank in mainland China for the provision of company secretarial services.
This global mandate is an expansion of the Group’s existing relationship with Bocom, which have been a client since 2011.
The Group will provide all corporate secretarial functions and general corporate governance services including incorporation, annual compliance and registered office support to Bocom’s vehicles across all jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Singapore, Cayman Islands and Ireland.
This global role demonstrates the growing demand from corporates to appoint a single provider of company secretary services with the scale and experience to support their operations across multiple locations and jurisdictions, delivering greater convenience and cost efficiencies.
Bocom will benefit from access to Apex Group’s global single-source solution which includes comprehensive range of Corporate Services that are at the forefront of industry best practice and meet the highest standards of corporate governance. Apex’s Corporate Secretary Services include:
- Performing company incorporations;
- Meeting facilitation, to include preparation and distribution of board packs and attending board and shareholder meetings in person or via telephone;
- Maintaining compliance with the registrations and filing requirements of the fund/company within its domicile;
- Submission of applications to relevant authorities for confirmations relating to taxations, consents etc;
- Arrangement of the execution of agreements and documents in consultation with the client and/or lawyers; and
- Arrangement of the execution of agreements and documents in consultation with the client and/or lawyers, plus execution of secretarial certificates and other documents as Company Secretary.
This news follows the recently announced senior appointments of Debbie Lee as Country Head, China and Claudia Bolanos as Head of Corporate Services, APAC based in Hong Kong. Both report to Valerie Mantot-Groene, Head of APAC, and are responsible for driving the firm’s continued growth and performance across the APAC region.
Apex opened its first office in Asia in 2007 and now has seven offices across the region, over 190 employees in the APAC region and circa $40bn in regional AUA, making it one of the largest financial services providers in the region.
Wallis Chan, Head of Corporate Services, Hong Kong, comments: “We are pleased to have secured this global mandate to provide corporate solutions to Bocom, one of China’s largest banks. Today’s announcement further demonstrates Apex’s continued growth ambitions in the Chinese market and to provide clients with the broadest range of locally delivered solutions in the industry; including banking, depositary, custody, fund administration, corporate solutions and ESG services.”
Matt Claxton, Global Head of Corporate Solutions at Apex Group, adds: “We are seeing the growing popularity of outsourcing company secretarial services to a single external provider and Apex is well placed, to enable key efficiencies for clients, with services delivered by an experienced local client service team, underpinned by a global perspective and reach. “
Zhang Jing, spokesperson at Bocom further, says: “We have been working with Apex in Ireland for close to a decade, and have been impressed by their exceptional levels of client service and the depth of their professional knowledge. In light of this, we are delighted to award Apex a global mandate to provide high quality and fully-compliant company secretarial services. We particularly value Apex’s unique single-source solution which incorporates range of services across the full value chain, delivered in all of the jurisdictions we operate in via just one convenient, local point of contact.”
