The Secret Diary of a Company Secretary by Erika Eliasson-Norris

The Secret Diary of a Company Secretary

This book is bold, funny, and uncomfortably true.

Days

Hours

Minutes

Bold, Funny, and Uncomfortably True

It’s drawn from real events behind closed boardroom doors – including hostage situations, executive meltdowns, sabotage, suicide, moral stand-offs, and even a naked shareholder.

It doesn’t just reveal what happens when decisions go wrong – it shows the human cost of silence, the messiness of doing the right thing, and the emotional toll of holding power to account from the inside.

This book brings corporate culture and ethics to life – not the legal detail, but the leadership breakdowns, ignored truths, and quiet acts of courage that echo through every organisation. Told through anonymised, diary-style accounts from those who’ve sat in the company secretary’s seat at FTSE companies, it’s more Bridget Jones or ‘The Help’ than boardroom manual – candid, compelling, and unmistakably real.

The Company Secretary should be the conscience of the company. The person who speaks last, listens hardest, and holds leadership to account.

Learn About
Governance and Leadership

What really happens behind closed doors

How influence works when no one’s watching

The ethical choices leaders can’t ignore

Lessons for directors, advisors, and future decision-makers

Why Future Leaders
Are Reading This Book

A must-read

for board directors.

Rose Marcario,

Former President & CEO of Patagonia, Inc.

A must for Chairs

CEOs, Board Directors and senior managers.

Erika surfaces the invaluable contribution of the Company Secretary. An easy to read desperately needed text.

Andrew Kakabadse

Professor of Governance and Leadership at Henley Business School and Emeritus Professor at Cranfield School of Management

This book brings a

vital role out of the shadows.

Erika writes with insight and real experience. It’s a timely reminder that governance is not about bureaucracy, it is about people, judgement, and doing what’s right when it matters most.

Ram Charan,

Global Adviser to Boards and CEOs. Coauthor of best seller EXECUTION

A great addition to

the slim literature on this much-misunderstood role.

It opens the field to public scrutiny and is full of very human insights into the problems of the current role, and the potential joys of the future role as directors are being forces to professionalise and face regular assessment and development.

Bob Garratt,

Author of ‘The Fish Rots from The Head’

The Secret Diary

of a Company Secretary

is highly recommended for anyone looking to be on a board, or for those who are just curious what boardrooms are really like. Boardrooms are not what most people think they are, and the stories here beautifully illustrate the ‘truth can be stranger than fiction’ reality of being on a board, as well as the crucial role played by the company secretary in most boards. There are so many great lessons here for anyone looking to be a company director.

Randall Peterson PhD,

Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School

Real-World Boardroom
Scenarios from Company Secretaries

For the professionals in the thick of it

This book is for those who operate in the grey – where rules end and real judgement begins. You may not be the one making the final call, but you’ve shaped the thinking behind it, asked the hard questions, or ensured the record tells the truth. It’s a reflection of a profession that doesn’t rely on ego, but on quiet integrity – one that leads through clarity, not noise.

For those reshaping what leadership looks like

Leadership isn’t just about decision-making – it’s about people. The people we back. The values we defend. The space we create for others to grow. Whether you’re a company secretary, a compliance lead, or a future board member, your work helps shape not just results, but culture. This book recognises that work – often quiet, often unseen – and makes the case for leadership that’s rooted in fairness, not flash.

For the boardroom veterans

The decisions that define a company often unfold quietly, through late-night calls, off-the-record conversations, and unseen moments of judgement. This book is a reflection of that quieter side of leadership. It doesn’t offer quick fixes or grand claims. Just stories drawn from real boardrooms, where governance is lived, not theorised.

For emerging leaders and business graduates

Governance doesn’t always get the storytelling it deserves. It’s often treated as technical, when in truth, it’s deeply human. This book brings together the moments that sit between policy and people: the judgement calls, the quiet interventions, the unseen pressures. If you’re just entering the profession or shaping how it’s taught, I hope this adds something useful to the conversation.

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About the Author Erika Eliasson-Norris

Erika Eliasson-Norris FCG LLM is redefining corporate governance across the UK, US and beyond—bridging the gap between boardrooms, policymakers, and the next generation of leaders. A trusted voice in governance, her influence spans high-profile corporate advisory, government inquiries, and industry-wide reform.

As Founder & CEO of Beyond Governance, Erika has built an award-winning firm reshaping governance best practice globally. Recognised for her expertise, she was appointed by Sir Wyn Williams as the sole Governance Assessor to the UK’s largest public inquiry—the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. Her career is defined by a relentless drive to unlock outstanding governance as the engine of business resilience and sustainable growth.