Guide to Meetings A-Z is a quick guide to the law, procedure and conduct of meetings, with entries arranged in alphabetical order. The author describes in ‘plain English’ the common-law principles attached to board meetings, and the implications of the Companies Act for shareholders’ and directors’ meetings, including acting outside of meetings.

Guide to Meetings A-Z provides company chairpersons and secretaries with the material they need to keep meetings on track and trouble-free. The publication is also a valuable source of reference for those who arrange and participate in meetings generally, highlighting the important issues that need to be clearly understood, from issuing the notice right through to recording the minutes.

Pat Mahony is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) and a past President of its Southern African division. He has also served on the International Council of the CGI. He was the group company secretary of two JSE-listed companies, a non-executive trustee of a major medical aid scheme, and the chairman and trustee of various pension and provident funds. After retiring he took a short-term contract as the CEO of the Mauritius Institute of Directors. He currently serves as a non-executive director of a non-profit company.

He has been involved in professional education and development for many years, and has lectured extensively in Southern Africa and other countries on subjects such as corporate governance, risk management, and the role of the company secretary.

About the Author:

Pat was a founding co-author (and later consulting editor) of South African Corporate Business Administration, published by Juta and regarded by many in the field as the definitive text on corporate secretaryship practice and procedure. He is the chief technical editor of Company Secretarial Practice, the successor to the aforementioned publication, also published by Juta. He has also published books on related subjects, including practical risk management, retirement fund governance and corporate governance in general, in addition to several highly influential best practice articles.

Pat’s reputation as a knowledgeable and dynamic presenter and author who conveys information in an easy and relaxed manner means that, in addition to his consultancy work, he is still very much in demand as a speaker at professional training events.

1. Adjournment

2. Agenda

3. Amendments

4. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

5. Apologies

6. Attendance of non-members

7. Attendance register

8. Business of a meeting

9. Chairman’s casting vote

10. Chairman’s election

11. Chairman’s powers and duties

12. Chairman and his role

13. Class meetings

14. Committees

15. Conflict of interest

16. Constitution

17. Counter motion

18. Court orders

19. Directors

20. Dissolution of meetings

21. Dropped motions

22. Electronic meetings

23. Executive powers 

24. Expulsion from meetings

25. Formal motions 

26. Matters arising from the minutes

27. Meetings

28. Members

29. Minutes

30. Motions

31. Motions to review and rescind

32. Non-members

33. Notices of meetings

34. Office bearers

35. Point of order

36. Poll

37. Postponement

38. Preparation for meetings

39. Preservation of order

40. Privileged occasions

41. Proposer

42. Proxies — companies

43. Proxies — bodies other than companies

44. Question before the meeting

45. Quorum

46. Record date

47. Representation at meetings

48. Requisitioned meetings

49. Resolutions — ordinary

50. Resolutions — special

51. Right of reply

52. Rules of debate

53. Scrutineers

54. Seconder

55. Secretary

56. Venue

57. Voting

58. Written resolutions of directors

59. Written resolutions of shareholders

60. ZATS

Index

• Company secretaries
• Chartered secretaries
• Chartered accountants
• Directors
• Managing agents of bodies corporate
• Committees of voluntary associations
• Lawyers