Corporate secretary vs senior administrative assistant

The differences between corporate secretaries and senior administrative 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 a senior administrative assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a corporate secretary has an average salary of $88,550, which is higher than the $46,790 average annual salary of a senior administrative assistant.

The top three skills for a corporate secretary include corporate governance, proxy and meeting minutes. The most important skills for a senior administrative assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and clerical support.

Corporate secretary vs senior administrative assistant overview

	Corporate Secretary	Senior Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$88,550	$46,790
Hourly rate	$42.57	$22.50
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	16,480	43,226
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
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 a senior administrative assistant do?

A senior administrative assistant's role is to accomplish clerical tasks to support senior managers. Such tasks involve preparing and processing documents, responding to inquiries and other forms of correspondence, arranging travel and appointments, attending meetings, and managing schedules. Furthermore, a senior administrative assistant must maintain a precise record system, serve as the main point of contact for office visitors, and prepare budget reports and other business plans. It is also essential to coordinate with various company personnel, ensuring accuracy in all activities and projects.

Corporate secretary vs senior administrative assistant salary

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

	Corporate Secretary	Senior Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$88,550	$46,790
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $132,000	Between $34,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between corporate secretary and senior administrative assistant education

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

	Corporate Secretary	Senior Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Corporate secretary vs senior administrative assistant demographics

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

	Corporate Secretary	Senior Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	49
Gender ratio	Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5%	Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0%
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 senior administrative 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.

Senior administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Create and manage RFP and proposal processes for various projects.
Manage branches fiscal transactions including A/P, A/R, payroll, petty cash, safeguard reconciliation, and corporate reporting.
Coordinate calendars, schedule meetings and manage associated logistics including domestic/international travel.
Scheduled/Coordinate enterprise-wide WebEx conferences, facilitate team meetings, and manage executive schedules and itineraries.
Manage and coordinate complex internal and external meetings and/or events via videoconferencing, WebEx and teleconference calls.
Manage upper level calendar scheduling, arrange domestic and international travel, prepare PowerPoint presentations, correspondence and process expense reports.

Corporate secretary vs senior administrative assistant skills

Common corporate secretary skills

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

Common senior administrative assistant skills

PowerPoint, 12%
Customer Service, 6%
Clerical Support, 5%
Patients, 4%
Provides Administrative Support, 4%
SVP, 3%

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Corporate Secretary
Corporate Secretary vs Senior Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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