Corporate secretary vs executive assistant

The differences between corporate secretaries and executive assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a corporate secretary, becoming an executive assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a corporate secretary has an average salary of $88,550, which is higher than the $50,539 average annual salary of an executive assistant.

The top three skills for a corporate secretary include corporate governance, proxy and meeting minutes. The most important skills for an executive assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and phone calls.

Corporate secretary vs executive assistant overview

	Corporate Secretary	Executive Assistant
Yearly salary	$88,550	$50,539
Hourly rate	$42.57	$24.30
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	16,480	93,116
Job satisfaction	5	4.4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	50	49
Years of experience	2	4

What does a corporate secretary do?

A Corporate Secretary works in promoting corporate governance and regulatory compliance. They make certain that the board of directors is equipped with the necessary tools and information in fulfilling their shareholder obligations. They ensure the integrity of an enterprise's governance framework. It is their responsibility to ensure the efficiency of business administration in compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements. Corporate Secretaries also implement the decisions of the board.

What does an executive assistant do?

Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.

Corporate secretary vs executive assistant salary

Corporate secretaries and executive assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Secretary	Executive Assistant
Average salary	$88,550	$50,539
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $132,000	Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between corporate secretary and executive assistant education

There are a few differences between a corporate secretary and an executive assistant in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Secretary	Executive Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Corporate secretary vs executive assistant demographics

Here are the differences between corporate secretaries' and executive assistants' demographics:

	Corporate Secretary	Executive Assistant
Average age	50	49
Gender ratio	Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	10%

Differences between corporate secretary and executive assistant duties and responsibilities

Corporate secretary example responsibilities.

Manage all mutual fund complex proxy solicitation matters and coordinate related shareholder meetings.
Purchase and manage investment portfolio, and supervise selling funds and investment securities.
Prepare annual proxy statement and other public disclosure statements require by federal securities laws.
Draft responses to subpoenas, interrogatories and other document requests.
Work with CFO and CPA in preparing annual tax reports.
Liaise with internal accountant and external CPA to prepare quarterly financial statements.

Executive assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain AVP calendar and schedule using independent judgment.
Manage and review WinStar (KRONOS) time clock hours for hourly union employees.
Organize and manage administrative, audio/visual (WebEx, GoToMeeting), and catering of department meetings.
Manage the scope of accounting processes including billing, bookkeeping and expense data management with strong oversight of A/R and A/P.
Create and manage executive presentations using Visio and PowerPoint.
Compile, manage and organize travel and expense reports processing and submitting reports using PeopleSoft for reimbursement.

Corporate secretary vs executive assistant skills

Common corporate secretary skills

Corporate Governance, 10%
Proxy, 10%
Meeting Minutes, 8%
Litigation, 7%
Travel Arrangements, 7%
Payroll Taxes, 6%

Common executive assistant skills

PowerPoint, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Calendar Management, 6%
Administrative Tasks, 3%
Financial Reports, 3%

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Corporate Secretary
Corporate Secretary vs Executive Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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