Salary benchmarks
Corporate secretary salary in 2026
What a corporate or company secretary earns depends on two things: whether the company is listed, and whether the seat is in the US or the UK. One table, then the reasoning, for the person being paid and the company paying.
Corporate secretary base pay, 2026, by segment.
Base salary medians and ranges from Sartori benchmarks, 2023 to 2026, in local currency. Sample size beside each row. Read them as ranges to test, not quotes.
| Segment (2026) | Median base | Base range | Target bonus | Sample, 2023-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US large-cap listed, standalone secretary | $315k | $260k – $380k | 30% – 50% | 9 offers |
| US mid-cap listed | $240k | $190k – $290k | 20% – 35% | 11 offers |
| US private or PE-backed | $205k | $165k – $250k | 15% – 30% | 8 offers |
| FTSE 100 group company secretary | £265k | £210k – £330k | 35% – 60% | 5 offers |
| FTSE 250 company secretary | £175k | £140k – £215k | 25% – 40% | 7 offers |
| UK large unlisted company | £130k | £105k – £165k | 15% – 30% | 6 offers |
| Deputy or assistant secretary, US | $165k | $140k – $195k | 10% – 20% | 8 offers |
| Deputy or assistant secretary, UK | £105k | £85k – £130k | 10% – 20% | 6 offers |
Sartori benchmarks, 2023 to 2026, from mandates, offers and candidate interviews. Medians of small samples: a single large-cap offer can move a row. Not from job boards or salary aggregators. Figures are base salary unless stated; equity, pension and benefits are extra and vary by company.
Five findings from our benchmarks.
Each finding names its segment, its base and its window. Sample sizes are small; the direction is more reliable than the decimal.
- Listing status is the largest single driver. US mid-cap listed secretaries show a median base of $240k against $205k at private or PE-backed companies, about 17% more, in offers recorded between 2023 and 2026 (11 and 8 offers).
- The FTSE 100 to FTSE 250 step is about a third. FTSE 100 company secretaries show a median base of £265k against £175k at FTSE 250 groups, a gap of roughly 34%, in offers from 2023 to 2026.
- A dual seat pays a premium. Where the general counsel also holds the secretary role, base ran about 14% above the same company’s general counsel-only band across 12 mandates, 2023 to 2026.
- Bonus widens the listed gap. US large-cap listed secretaries carry a target bonus of 30% – 50% of base against 15% – 30% at private or PE-backed companies, so first-year cash differs by more than base alone, in the same 2023-to-2026 sample.
- The deputy seat is priced at about half of the top seat. A US deputy secretary shows a median base of $165k, roughly 52% of the US large-cap median (8 offers, 2023 to 2026). The UK deputy median is £105k (6 offers).
Sartori has run 31 corporate secretary and governance-counsel searches since 2017, on the senior-counsel clock: 18 days to shortlist and 8 weeks median to an accepted offer, of 87 senior and specialist in-house placements since 2017. These benchmarks draw on that work and on candidate interviews.
Listing status moves the base more than years of experience does.
Why a listed company pays more for the same title.
The job is not the same job. A listed company’s secretary carries a rulebook; a private company’s carries a calendar.
At a listed company the secretary runs the annual meeting, the disclosure calendar, committee charters and the record that regulators and auditors read. The exchange rules and securities law define the work. At a private or PE-backed company the same person usually runs board packs, minutes, entity housekeeping and shareholder approvals. The cadence is real; the external exposure is smaller.
That difference shows up in pay. In our 2023 to 2026 benchmarks the listed US mid-cap seat has a median base of $240k and a target bonus of 20% – 35%; the private or PE-backed seat $205k and 15% – 30%. The UK shows the same pattern: £175k at a FTSE 250 group against £130k at a large unlisted company.
| Dimension | Listed | Private or PE-backed |
|---|---|---|
| External rulebook | Exchange listing rules, securities disclosure | Shareholder agreement, company law |
| Annual meeting | Public AGM, proxy process | Written resolutions or a short meeting |
| Chair relationship | Direct; chair sits on the scorecard | Often through the general counsel or CEO |
| Pay shape | Higher base, larger bonus, equity | Lower base, smaller bonus, sometimes carry or phantom equity |
The law also sets a floor. Under the UK Companies Act 2006, in force in 2026, a private company need not have a secretary (s.270) but a public company must have one (s.271) who meets a qualification test (s.273). In the US, the Delaware General Corporation Law, current in 2026, requires that one officer has the duty to record board and stockholder proceedings (s.142), and leaves the title and the pay to the company.
Corporate secretary in the US, company secretary in the UK.
Same function, different office. The UK seat is a statutory officer at a public company; the US seat is a bylaw officer who often sits beside a general counsel.
In the US the corporate secretary is frequently a lawyer who also holds a deputy general counsel title, or the general counsel holds both seats. In the UK the company secretary at a FTSE group is more often a governance specialist, chartered or legally qualified, who leads a small secretariat and works directly with the chair. That is why the UK pay ladder is tighter at the bottom and steeper at the top: the FTSE 100 median base is £265k in our data, the FTSE 250 £175k.
Base pay is higher in the US at every comparable tier in the same 2023-to-2026 sample, but do not compare medians by converting currency. Compare whole packages: the US offer adds equity and a larger bonus, the UK offer adds pension contributions and, at the top, long-term incentive plan awards. Where a US secretary is also a general counsel, read the US general counsel bands; in London, the UK general counsel guide.
| Tier | US median base | UK median base |
|---|---|---|
| Largest listed | $315k | £265k |
| Mid-cap listed | $240k | £175k |
| Private or unlisted | $205k | £130k |
| Deputy or assistant | $165k | £105k |
Reading the number: the person paid and the company paying.
The same table reads differently depending on which side of the offer you sit. Switch sides:
Place yourself on the table by listing status and venue first, then test the package.
| What to test | Why it moves the pay |
|---|---|
| Is the company listed, and where? | Listed seats sit in the higher rows, about 17% higher in the US sample |
| Is the seat dual with general counsel? | A dual seat carried about 14% more base in our mandates |
| Who do you report to? | A direct line to the chair prices higher than a line through the general counsel |
| How many committees and AGMs do you run? | Workload and external exposure, not tenure, separate a high offer from a median one |
| What is target bonus and equity? | At listed companies the bonus gap widens first-year cash beyond the base gap |
Budget first-year cash, then the search fee. An example at the US large-cap median.
| Line | Illustration, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Base (US large-cap median) | $315k |
| Target bonus | 40% of base |
| First-year cash | $441k |
| Retained fee, 25% to 30% | $110k – $132k |
| Retainer at engagement (30% of fee) | $33k – $40k |
Every Sartori search is retained: the fee is 25 to 30 percent of first-year total compensation, and the retainer is 30 percent of the fee. The search clock on senior counsel is 18 days to shortlist and 8 weeks median to an accepted offer. A FTSE 250 group in London closed its company secretary seat in 8 weeks. Full process on the corporate secretary search page.
Where the figures and duties come from.
Pay figures are Sartori benchmarks. Legal duties are read from the statutes. No job-board or aggregator figure is used.
Sources and method
3 references- UK Companies Act 2006, sections 270 to 273 (legislation.gov.uk, in force in 2026) legislation.gov.uk ↗
- Delaware General Corporation Law, title 8, section 142 (Delaware Code, current in 2026) delcode.delaware.gov ↗
- Sartori & Partners benchmarks, corporate secretary base pay, 2023 to 2026 sartoriglobal.com ↗
Corporate secretary salary: common questions
How much does a corporate secretary make in 2026?
In Sartori benchmarks for 2023 to 2026, the median base is $315k at US large-cap listed companies, $240k at US mid-cap listed companies and $205k at US private or PE-backed companies. In the UK it is £265k at FTSE 100 groups, £175k at FTSE 250 groups and £130k at large unlisted companies. Bonus is extra and is larger at listed companies.
What is the difference between a corporate secretary and a company secretary?
Corporate secretary is the US title and company secretary is the UK and Commonwealth title. The work overlaps: board calendar, minutes, disclosure, committee papers. The UK office is statutory for public companies (Companies Act 2006, s.271, in force in 2026). The US office is created by bylaws under Delaware law (DGCL s.142, current in 2026).
Is a company secretary salary higher at a listed company?
Yes. In our 2023 to 2026 benchmarks a listed mid-cap secretary in the US earns a median base of $240k against $205k at a private or PE-backed company, about 17% more, and the target bonus is higher by roughly 5 percentage points at the bottom of the range. The reason is the listing-rule and disclosure load, not the title.
Do US corporate secretaries earn more than UK company secretaries?
Base pay is higher in the US at every comparable tier in our data, but dollars and pounds should be compared inside one offer, not by converting a median. A FTSE 250 secretary at £175k and a US mid-cap secretary at $240k also differ in equity, pension and bonus design. Read the whole package.
Do general counsel who are also the secretary get paid more?
Usually. In our 2023 to 2026 mandates, a combined general counsel and secretary seat carried a base about 14% above the same company's general counsel-only band (12 mandates). See the general counsel salary guide for the GC bands that premium sits on.
What should a company budget to hire a corporate secretary?
Base plus target bonus gives first-year cash. A US large-cap secretary at a $315k base and 40% target bonus is $441k first-year cash. Our retained fee is 25 to 30 percent of first-year total compensation, with a retainer of 30 percent of the fee at engagement. Process and terms are on the corporate secretary search page.
How do I negotiate a corporate secretary offer?
Anchor on the listing venue and whether the seat is dual with general counsel, then on bonus and equity, not base alone. Ask who the seat reports to, whether it is an officer for disclosure purposes, and how many AGMs and committees it runs. Those three facts move the base more than years of experience.
Where do these figures come from?
From Sartori mandates, offers and candidate interviews between 2023 and 2026, shown as medians with the sample size. They are not from job boards or salary aggregators. Legal duties cited on this page come from the statutes themselves: the UK Companies Act 2006 and the Delaware General Corporation Law. Sample sizes are small, so treat each as a range to test.
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