Know Your Member – R Alagar, Practising Company Secretary

 1. Please tell us about your graduation and your student days with CS Institute.

 I am a B.Com Graduate from Madras University.  I didn’t know the value of the CS course and accidentally joined this course. At that time the Institute was in a rented place in Eldams Road, Chennai. It took me quite a long time to complete the Course and obtain Membership, since I was working in a private concern as an Accountant.  I was determined to complete this course and did hard work.

 2. How long did you work as an employed CS? Share your experience as an Employed Secretary.

Fortunately, I was made Company Secretary from the day one of getting ACS Certificate. For ten years worked in various reputed companies and in one company handled the complete Public Issue process till the listing of shares in six Stock Exchanges. Was blessed to have some senior Company Secretaries in that group of Companies, who taught many things in this field.

3. You quit employment in the middle of your career and started practice. Share us those days.

I left the job for practice, with an experience of ten years, with a hope of prosperity. Though there was not much scope for practice at that time, my time was well set and I could get  considerable assignments and certifications in the very first year. After that it was only a forward trend and more and more avenues were introduced by the Institute and I also grew with the tremendous changes in this profession from the physical mode to the electronic mode. I will always update my knowledge in technology ahead of its implementation.  

4. You have completed more than two decades of practice. You are one of the rare people who is very active in practice but has always worked as a One man army. How are you managing it?

I entered in Practice in 2001 and till date I am doing my practice solo. I gained speed and learned many short cuts. Technology updation is my strength, and could manage till date. But I would not advice this to any one since it will eat all your time and effort. 

5. Understand you are an Independent Director in a few Companies for a very long time. Can you please share that experience? 

I am an Independent Director in a Listed Company in Coimbatore for thirteen years now. It is quite an interesting experience and responsible position also. Doing my best for that position. I am also in three committees in that Company.

6. You have great passion for Drawing and have a separate Facebook page. Can you please tell about that? 

Drawing is my passion and I wished to be an artist. Accidentally became a Company Secretary. Now I do not have time to pursue my passion. I love photoshop and learning it. 

7. Also your passion towards Tamil and your writings in Tamil

Another passion of mine is reading. For a very short period, I was working in a College Library. Thanks to my teachers I could learn the beauty of my mother tongue – Tamil. I can write Tamil without mistake, read very fast (Quite often, I read many books in Higginbothams just in a very short time, standing.). Read many English fictions and non- fiction books. I have a collection of around 400 Books.  Now  have switched to Kindle for reading. I have my separate page in Facebook – ‘Alagar’s Musings’ for writing in Tamil and English.

8. At the age of 60 plus years, you are extremely Net savvy and always use all available tools in internet. Can you please share some of the tools that Practising CS can use in day–to-day life to ease their work?

I have only two books on Company Law.  I am fully using Google. I love software and can convert any document as an editable document. 

9. Can you please tell us about your Family? About your wife and sons.

My wife is a retired employee of a Financial Institution. My elder son is a software professional and my second son is pursuing advanced financial course.

10. What are your future plans? How do you find practice in early 2000 and now?

I have reached what best I can reach in profession and maintaining the same is enough. The Practice now is very challenging due to additional compliances.

11. Any specific message that you want to share for young Company Secretaries. 

 Dedication and hard work will take you to greater heights.

Interview by: CS Mohankumar, Past Chairman ICSI SIRC