Checking governance strategy planning off the 2026 to-do list
For FTSE-Listed Company Secretaries
January is a great month for governance teams to reset.
What you plan for now determines how calm (or chaotic) the rest of the year feels.
We’ve created a FREE governance strategy checklist to get your 2026 off to the best start.
Use it to create a governance strategy that moves beyond a box ticking exercise and ensures your Board has oversight and visibility of key focus areas for 2026. Elevate your role in their eyes!
Getting the foundations right
A well-run year starts with clarity.
☐ Refresh the annual board and committee calendar
Confirm meeting dates, agenda cycles, standing items, and sense-check that they still reflect the board’s priorities.
☐ Review matters reserved and delegation frameworks
Make sure decision-making authority is clear, current, and aligned with how the business actually operates.
☐ Close out last year properly
Clear outstanding actions, tidy trackers, and ensure nothing important has drifted into “we’ll come back to that”. If the actions are needed, then don’t shoehorn them into your working day—figure out if you need additional resource and if you can get the budget to support. [KR1]
☐ Schedule Board and committee reviews early
Board and committee performance reviews are easier and more meaningful when they’re planned and well scoped, not squeezed in at the last minute.
Why this matters:
Boards perform better when the governance rhythm is predictable, disciplined and intentional. Appropriate and proportionate time allocation can make the difference between surviving and thriving.
Prepare seriously for Companies House and ECCTA reforms
2026 is the year to get a grip on this.
☐ Map identity verification requirements
Confirm how director and PSC verification will be handled, documented and monitored.
☐ Review Companies House data now
Audit statutory registers, filings, and shareholder information for accuracy and consistency.
☐ Pressure-test your filing processes
Are they ready for software-only filing and greater scrutiny including queries, rejections, and removals?
☐ Ensure your registered office is still suitable.
☐ Brief the board and senior managers
Translate regulatory change into practical implications so there are no surprises later.
Why this matters:
Companies House is moving from passive registrar to active gatekeeper — and governance teams sit at the centre of that shift.
Strengthen board reporting (quality over quantity)
For listed companies, board reporting underpins market confidence.
☐ Review board paper templates
Are papers concise and focused on decisions and insight, not background noise?
☐ Raise the bar on narrative quality
Ensure reports link performance, risk, culture and strategy rather than treating them as silos.
☐ Clarify the Co Sec’s strategic role
Position the company secretary as an advisor on governance effectiveness, not just process management.
☐ Build in forward-looking oversight
Help boards focus on what’s coming, not just what’s already happened. And get them to appreciate that governance is more than a box-ticking exercise.
☐ Support internal control effectiveness statements
Don’t just say it, be prepared to back it up with clear descriptions.
Why this matters:
Strong governance is visible in the quality of conversations happening in the boardroom.
Modernise processes and technology
Digital-first regulation demands digital-ready governance.
☐ Review entity management systems
Do they support accuracy, auditability, and regulatory reporting, or just store data?
☐ Automate where it reduces risk
Filings, approvals, insider lists, and action tracking shouldn’t rely on manual workarounds.
☐ Strengthen data controls
Make it clear who owns data accuracy across subsidiaries, registers, and disclosures.
☐ Sense-check MAR, DTR, and FCA workflows
Ensure systems genuinely support compliance.
Why this matters:
Good systems don’t just save time, they protect credibility.
Refresh director training and expectations
Directors are under increasing pressure from regulators, investors, and stakeholders and they look to the Co Sec for guidance.
☐ Update induction and refresher materials
Reflect changes from the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024, ensure disclosure expectations are clear, and don’t be scared to reinforce messages that matter.
☐ Reinforce duties and behaviours
Cover conflicts, inside information, market disclosures, and data integrity in practical terms.
☐ Align expectations early
Ensure directors understand what “good governance” looks like in practice this year and how it directly affects their roles, responsibilities, and personal accountability
Why this matters:
Well-informed directors make better decisions and fewer governance mistakes.
Review governance policies with intent
January is the moment to refresh — not just roll forward.
☐ Board and committee terms of reference
Confirm they reflect current responsibilities and regulatory expectations.
☐ Crisis and incident procedures
Ensure escalation routes and disclosure triggers are clear and tested.
☐ Shareholder engagement protocols
Align governance processes with investor expectations and stewardship trends.
☐ Sustainability and ESG governance
Check roles and reporting lines are clearly defined. Make sure you familiarise yourself with how these two topics overlap.
Why this matters:
Policies should reflect how the organisation governs now, not how it governed three years ago.
Support ESG, culture, and stakeholder reporting
For listed companies, these are no longer “soft” issues.
☐ Prepare for UK SRS and TPT expectations
Assess readiness and clarify ownership across the business.
☐ Strengthen workforce engagement oversight
Ensure boards receive meaningful insight, not just headline metrics.
☐ Integrate culture into governance reporting
Help boards articulate how culture is challenged and shaped.
☐ Focus on substance, not spin
Support disclosures that reflect lived practice, not just compliance language.
Why this matters:
Investors and regulators are looking for coherence.
Enhance risk and internal control oversight
Governance teams are increasingly expected to join the dots.
☐ Support internal control effectiveness statements
Ensure frameworks, evidence, and reporting are robust.
☐ Review fraud, ethics, and cyber risk oversight
Confirm escalation routes and board visibility are clear.
☐ Stress-test resilience planning
Business continuity and crisis preparedness should be more than theoretical.
☐ Align with audit and assurance expectations
Anticipate scrutiny under the evolving UK Corporate Governance Code.
Why this matters:
Effective governance reduces surprises and boards value that more than ever.
January is about doing the right things early, so the rest of your year runs with confidence and control, regardless of when your accounting year-end falls.
If you’d like support actioning this checklist whether that’s preparing for regulatory reform, strengthening board reporting, or modernising governance processes the Round Governance team is ready to help.
Let’s set the governance agenda for the year ahead.