Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes
Elizabeth Darguzaite is a company secretary in training at Flex Legal, currently on secondment at Ford. Her face lights up when she talks about completing her law degree and moving into the world of governance, but it was an application for a different role that changed the course of her career. Now, 18 months into her role as a Co-Sec trainee, she’s keen to encourage more people to consider the profession.
Q: How did you go from completing your law degree to starting a career in governance?
A: I graduated with a law degree in 2024, and I originally wanted to become a commercial law solicitor. After graduating, I spent some time researching legal internships, and one of the first opportunities I came across was the internship facilitated by Flex Legal.
Although I was unsuccessful in securing the internship, I was delighted to receive a very personalised response from Flex Legal, encouraging me to apply for their Company Secretarial Trainee scheme. The more research I did into the profession, the more the career path appealed to me.
Governance is a future-facing career path, with constant challenges and learning opportunities. Regulations are evolving all the time, so there is always something new to learn. The Company Secretarial function truly operates at the heart of the organisation’s strategy. I feel really fortunate to have frequent board exposure, as well as networking opportunities with stakeholders from across the business.
Q: What was it specifically that appealed to you about the role of the Co-Sec that made you decide to go down this route?
A: My ambition is to one day become a non-executive director as I’m very inspired when I sit in the boardroom and hear the contributions from NEDs. When you hear enough of those conversations, you start to be guided by their observations and think in a similar way. Governance is not just a box-ticking exercise, it is a limitless career where you can really make an impact for the better and be a valuable asset.
Equally, I am a people person, and I like communicating with different areas of an organisation. I particularly enjoy the fact that being a co-sec is a very people-centric role, perhaps more so than other graduate opportunities I’ve explored. I operate between the board and the operational teams, and my job is to support the application of corporate governance, laws and regulations through a commercial lens. I get to be an enabler, where appropriate, because I enable certain strategic decisions to happen in the frame of good governance. Being close to the business strategy is something key that motivated me to pursue this career path. At Ford, I have seen how work happens operationally in teams and how it feeds up to the board, and sometimes vice versa, which gives you a real view of how decisions are shaped.
Q: Can you tell me about your experience with the CGIUKI Qualifying Programme and being a trainee company secretary so far?
A: The first thing that comes to mind is that it’s challenging, but I really value the flexibility. I complete one module every six months, which feels manageable alongside my full-time role. The Qualifying Programme teaches practical skills and knowledge that I apply directly in my role.
Studying while working has increased my confidence, especially around board processes, director appointments, and board effectiveness. I also benefit from having a very supportive supervisor who’s always happy to talk things through over a coffee. My first exam, Company Compliance and Administration, was in June 2025, and the most challenging part initially was adjusting to a very different exam structure to university. I overcame this by using my network, supervisors, mentors, and peers.
Q: How has the qualification influenced your career progression or daily work?
A: The programme has also broadened my thinking around where governance can take you. Learning about how governance works in other sectors, such as public and non-profit, also broadens my horizons and makes me think, “Maybe I could become the Co-Sec of a charity one day and contribute to causes that are close to my heart”. At this point in time, I’d like to stay in financial services and potentially gain listed company experience further down the line. I really do feel that everything that I’ve read and studied with the Qualifying Programme so far is preparing me for the future.
The skill that has influenced my daily life the most is minute writing. In the Company Compliance and Administration module, there were tonnes of practical tips on how to write minutes efficiently, and tips like the six C’s (clarity, coherence, conciseness, consistency, completeness, and correctness), which have helped enormously in my day job.
Q: What would you say to other law graduates who may not have considered this route?
A: A career in governance is often underrated and misunderstood. I would encourage anyone with an interest in commercial, public sector, or not-for-profit law to consider pursuing a career as a company secretary. It involves high profile transactions and decisions and requires a great deal of trust and responsibility, even at a junior level. As a company secretary or governance professional, you are not just interpreting the law; you are influencing how an organisation operates. From ensuring transparent governance processes and accountability, to supporting the organisational strategy in the very room where those decisions are made. It is an intellectually stimulating and fulfilling career path where you never stop learning, and you use many of the legal skills that you develop in your university degree. Plus, you get the opportunity to refine both technical and soft skills in relation to business operations. I’m pleased that I’ve chosen this fruitful career, which offers so many opportunities for progression and success.
Interested in a career in governance?
Find out more about the Chartered Governance Institute’s Qualifying Programme.
Become a trainee company secretary – Flex Company Secretary Trainee: Autumn 2026 cohort
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