Corporate shareholder representative authority should be checked when a new contact starts giving instructions for a corporate member. Update correspondence details only after verifying the change through a known route. Being the new relationship contact does not automatically confer authority to sign, approve or vote on every matter.

Hands signing a document at an office desk
Illustrative photograph by Pavel Danilyuk.

Identify the capacity involved

Record the corporate shareholder’s legal identity and the company in which it holds shares. Ask whether the person will receive correspondence, supply information, sign a document or represent the member at a meeting. These are different tasks and may require different evidence.

Keep the earlier verified contact route available while confirming the transition. Do not rely only on a new email signature, job title or forwarded instruction where authority is uncertain.

Obtain task-specific evidence

Give the secretary the request and any appointment, authorisation or corporate approval supplied. Ask the reviewer to determine what evidence is appropriate for the actual act. Avoid treating a general business introduction as a universal mandate.

Check names, dates, scope and any stated limits. Keep sensitive corporate and personal documents accessible only to those who need them for the review.

Example: a new finance contact sends voting instructions

The person has previously answered accounting queries but now asks to approve a shareholder decision. Refer the instruction for authority review before using it. Familiarity with the company’s accounts is not evidence of authority to exercise the member’s rights.

Record the verified outcome

Retain the evidence, reviewer decision and permitted contact purpose. Preserve earlier correspondence as history while making the current routing clear. If the request exceeds the established authority, obtain clarification rather than extending the mandate in an internal contact spreadsheet.

Related practical guidance

For the surrounding records and responsibilities, see maintaining statutory records, the company secretary role, company recordkeeping.

Official guidance: ACRA company guidance.

Help with your company records

For corporate secretarial and company administration support, contact Raffles Corporate Services at [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. Tell us which records or process need attention so we can discuss the relevant next steps.