The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (

) 2023 marks a major turning point in the UK’s approach to corporate oversight. For the first time, Companies House shifts from a passive registrar to an active gatekeeper — tasked with verifying the identity of directors and ensuring the integrity of the data it holds.

If you're a company secretary, legal operations lead or compliance officer, these reforms represent a critical new compliance burden — but also an opportunity to strengthen your governance controls and demonstrate leadership in transparency.

This article focuses on one of the most operationally urgent areas of the Act: 

. We’ll cover what it means, key deadlines and practical steps you can take to implement it effectively — while leveraging technology to reduce risk and ease the administrative load.

What is Identity Verification under ECCTA?

Anyone filing documents with Companies House

Each verified individual will be issued a 

 by Companies House. This code is essential for future appointments, filings, and any formal role tied to corporate records.

Via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) 

— such as a solicitor, accountant, or formation agent

Importantly, even if an ACSP is used, the IDV code is sent directly to the individual, not the organisation facilitating the process.

IDV implementation timeline: What to know

Here’s how the rollout is currently planned:


Individuals can start verifying their identity and receiving IDV codes.

Autumn/Winter 2025 – Transitional phase


You must complete IDV to incorporate a company, appoint directors, or register PSCs. You’ll also need IDV codes for all individuals before filing a confirmation statement.


No filings will be accepted without verified individuals across all relevant roles.

Start now. Don’t wait for the rush later this year. Early adoption avoids last-minute fire drills and ensures business continuity.

This must-read guide helps compliance teams and company secretaries tackle ECCTA’s identity checks before deadlines hit — without the stress or guesswork.

Are your directors IDV-ready?

Here are the five key steps every compliance team should take:

Use either GOV.UK One Login or an ACSP. ACSPs must be registered with Companies House and supervised by a UK anti-money laundering body.

These codes are confidential. Whether you’re a company secretary or legal operations lead, ensure that:

Directors share codes directly (not via intermediaries)

Codes are stored securely for future filings

 with granular permissions — so only authorised users can see or edit codes.

3. Maintain centralised, accurate records

Manual spreadsheets won’t cut it under this regime. 

Storing IDV codes securely at the individual level

Tracking IDV requirements by role (director, PSC, filer)

Flagging gaps ahead of confirmation statement deadlines

 to check which individuals have verified — and who needs chasing.

IDV involves asking senior stakeholders for personal documents. To avoid delays:

Explain the legal requirement and upcoming deadlines

Outline how the codes will be used—and by whom

 make it easy to prioritise outreach and track progress across your entire entity structure.

5. Monitor and audit compliance continuously

Without verified identities, you won’t be able to file — and that could trigger sanctions or reputational harm. Use 

' dashboards to track group-wide IDV status and act fast where gaps exist.

The IDV requirements under ECCTA are non-negotiable — and the deadlines are approaching fast. With 

Automate deadline tracking and compliance reporting

Streamline communications and reduce admin burden

This essential ECCTA checklist helps company secretaries and compliance leads cut through complexity and act on IDV with clarity and confidence.

Your free ECCTA action plan

Identity Verification (IDV) under ECCTA: What UK companies must do now

Meeting minutes are a routine duty but should not be taken lightly. According to the 

Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

, "Boards should see minutes as a way to tell how they worked to fulfill their duties to stockholders.” They are also an official written record of a meeting; the most effective meeting minutes will offer a clear picture of what happened there. These are a critical element of 

, shareholder meetings and more, and they’re not just for those who couldn’t attend in person.

Without meeting minutes, details about executive meeting decisions, task assignments and other organizational actions may become hazy over time and could put the board at legal risk. Meeting minutes are proof of why and how a board came to the decisions it made. The IRS, state laws, and your national chapter (if applicable) may require you to retain your meeting minutes.

For all these reasons, board meeting minutes must accurately reflect the actions and decisions of the board. To help you take more effective meeting minutes, this article will explain:

What is considered effective meeting minutes

Tips, templates and technology for better meeting minutes

Meeting minutes record a board’s or committee’s actions and deliberations during a meeting. But 

meeting minutes do more. They must simultaneously convey the discussions and decisions during the meeting and contain specific components that support good 

 and protect the board and the organization from undue or unexpected legal allegations. 

 should also note advisors’ participation in the meeting and whether the board relied on the experts’ advice.

“Directors are likely to face stockholder litigation at some point,”

, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. “Minutes really are the first evidence that is put out there. Their go-to evidence for judges and for plaintiff’s attorneys. The judges have said again and again in Delaware how important minutes are.” She emphasized that if something is not in the minutes, there will be a presumption that the board did not do it. So, how can you do this critical task effectively?

The order of items, how they’re titled, and the degree of detail are less important than the meeting activities. It’s more critical for minute-takers to record the actions and decisions of the board and the rationale behind their actions and decisions without so much detail as to cloud their true intentions.

Why taking effective meeting minutes matters

Meeting minutes are vital records that align boards and hold them accountable for their decisions. Whether the board is making mission-critical decisions or tracking action items, effective minutes ensure everyone is on the same page and that nothing falls through the cracks.

Here’s how they matter to different roles:

Responsible for creating and maintaining official records

. They rely on accurate minutes to uphold good governance, support board functionality, and ensure the organization meets compliance and reporting obligations.

With limited time and competing priorities, executives use minutes to quickly understand key decisions, track progress on strategic initiatives and stay aligned with the board and leadership team.

, board members need clear, well-documented minutes to validate decision-making processes, revisit past discussions and fulfill their oversight role with confidence and continuity.

Minutes serve as a critical audit trail for legal and regulatory purposes. They help demonstrate that the organization follows proper procedures, manages risk appropriately and makes decisions in good faith.

Before the meeting: Setting yourself up to take meeting minutes effectively

The quality of your meeting minutes starts before anyone walks into the room. Here's a guide on how to take effective 

 that maximize the productivity of the meeting.

 Collaborate with the meeting leader to ensure the 

 is well-planned and productive. Try obtaining a copy of the meeting agenda to help develop an outline and structure your minutes. The outline should leave ample space to write a brief explanation for each action or motion and the time each action was taken.

Organize your notes by writing the agenda item each minute corresponds to. This makes it clear what each minute is about and eliminates the guesswork. Agendas also provide key details that need to be included in the minutes, such as the names of meeting attendees and guest speakers.

Align your meeting minutes template with your organization’s standards. Include sections for attendees, 

 items, motions, decisions, action items and next steps. Many board portals include templates, or you can use the template provided below.

Whether you prefer meeting minutes software or pen and paper, use tools to record information quickly and stay organized.

Streamline your meeting preparation and minute-taking with Diligent Boards. Try it now to save time and enhance efficiency.

Effortless meeting preparation

How to take effective minutes during a meeting

The best minute-takers are great listeners. Once the meeting begins, use your template and follow the conversation to discern the key discussion and decisions you’ll record.

 As meeting participants walk in, you can cross them off your attendee list if you’re familiar with them. If you’re not, you can pass around a sign-in sheet or begin the meeting with quick introductions. This makes it easier to identify people who could not attend the meeting.

Focus on the most critical aspects of the meeting: 

Concentrating on minutiae will lead you to miss the larger context. Instead, convey objectively what attendees discussed and the outcomes of those discussions, including how board members voted on various 

 Speak up if you need clarification on outcomes, particularly if a clear decision wasn’t made or if the next steps weren’t obvious. Remember to record notes for each decision or action as it occurs.

When the meeting adjourns, the true minute-taking begins. This is where you’ll turn the notes in your template into a formal meeting minutes document that will become part of the corporate record.

A common misconception is that what you record during the meeting is final. The reality is that you can take time after the meeting adjourns to finalize your notes. Review your notes to ensure they’re genuinely effective meeting minutes, and if needed, add notes for clarity or ask the meeting leader to explain specific details further. Ensure that each action the board takes has a brief explanation and a rationale for the decision.

 If other documents were included in the meeting, note where they can be found or attach them as an appendix, but don't summarize them.

Securely send the meeting minutes to the board for review before finalizing them. The most efficient and secure option is to 

 using a password-protected PDF or a collaborative 

. You should also store a hard copy for future reference.

Be sure to back them up to an external hard drive as an extra precaution unless you’re using a service that includes good co-location and disaster recovery services. Many minutes contain sensitive information, so it’s critical to store them in a password-protected secure location and only accessible to approved meeting members; many boards use an encrypted 

There’s no shortage of templates for effective meeting minutes. Most corporations start with a basic format, which evolves according to the company’s needs. Boards may select from the components below and include them in their 


Board minutes should list the corporation's name at the top of the letterhead. Most companies also add their logo, corporate headquarters address, phone number and website address.




Usually, board meeting minutes list the month, day and year of the meeting. This section also lists whether it’s a regular, annual, special or emergency meeting. The location of the meeting follows this information and may state whether all or some portion of the meeting will be held by teleconference or videoconference.




This list of meeting attendees typically comes next. This section lists the board members who were present, those who were absent and whether a quorum was present. The attendee’s list includes any special presenters, outside counsel, experts or guests.




This is the point in the meeting where things often change. It doesn’t matter what order the committee reports are listed in or whether the board chooses to assess how their meeting went briefly. It’s just essential to record the main actions and decisions of the board. Any order works fine. Effective meeting minutes will follow a consistent format for litigation or questions on board actions. Many boards find it helpful to list agenda items corresponding to the action the board needs to take. Formatting minutes like this simplifies the task for minute-takers. For example, each agenda item may be followed by one of the following words:


The proceedings detail the items the board discussed in the order they discussed them. The minutes should reflect who called the meeting to order and the time the person called the meeting to order. Typically, this is the board chair, but it could be someone else if the board chair is absent for any reason.

The chief executive usually submits a report for every meeting detailing the state of the corporation since the last meeting, including any new developments and challenges. The chief executive's report is usually followed by standing committee reports and ad hoc committee reports. Standing committees may include the finance committee, the executive committee, and the nominating and governance committee. Ad hoc committees tackle specific objectives or tasks and are usually dissolved after they achieve those objectives.




Many corporations still use the term 'old business' to refer to agenda items that they carried over from the previous meeting. A term that more accurately describes this section is 

 because the items may not be old at all, and the board may just need additional time to address them.




These are new items on the agenda that the board has not yet discussed. They are often accompanied by reports, articles, research or other supporting documentation.




Not all boards allow time for open dialogue. Whether boards include this section speaks to the tradition and culture of the board. Having an open dialogue enables board directors to discuss matters that don’t fit neatly into other parts of the agenda.




Some corporations hold public meetings at least some of the time. If so, effective meeting minutes should reflect that members of the public attended the meeting and make note of the issues they presented. The board may ask questions of individuals from the public, but they normally don't answer them directly during the meeting.




This portion of the minutes documents comments on industry issues or other important matters. This is also a time for the board chair to make announcements of board directors who will be appointed or are leaving. This section includes honoring board directors for special achievements.




To streamline their meetings and increase productivity, some boards allow a short amount of time at the end of the 

 for members to comment on how well the board meeting was run and 


The final words list who called for the adjournment of the meeting and at what time the meeting was adjourned.




The person taking minutes should list their name and title.

Tips for taking effective meeting minutes

Taking effective meeting minutes is something of an art and a science, blending the board’s unique culture with the components of 

. To take the most effective minutes possible, secretaries should strive to:

 Minutes should be written using consistent language and a consistent approach. Meeting minutes can be called into court, so they must contain clear, concise and unambiguous information so that court officials won't need to seek other sources to clarify or substantiate information.

Not every little thing needs to be documented. It is crucial to include the critical elements of a board meeting. This includes the topics the directors considered, the reasons for their decisions, and who they received advice from. The duration and content of the board's discussion, as well as the company's industry, all impact the amount of detail that should be included in the board minutes. 

Megan Baier, Partner with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

, advises on whether board members should ask to have their dissent recorded. “If a board member decides, ‘I want to dissent and have it noted in the minutes,’ whether that would shield you from any related liability is more situational,” Baier explained.

, Zimmerman recommended against including too much blow-by-blow legal advice in the minutes. This is because in the event that legal privilege is waived, it gives the plaintiffs a lot of information about legal advice that you don't want in there.

Use neutral language whenever possible and steer clear of adjectives and adverbs that reflect value judgments.

Minute-takers and the board chair or board president should carefully 

 the minutes to correct any typographical errors and other misleading information that could call the entire record into question.

Meeting minutes should reveal any conflicts of interest and how the board resolved them.

Effective meeting minutes should reflect whether the board held privileged discussions with their attorney and, if so, simply indicate that the board participated with their legal counsel and provide the most general reference information available.

The NYSE requires board directors of publicly listed corporations to meet in regularly scheduled 

 where management isn't present to allow for candid discussions among independent directors. Minutes should reflect that the board held this meeting, who attended it, when the meeting was held and how long the meeting lasted.

 Excellence and diligence in minute-taking ensure that best practices for 

. The individual who takes minutes should have guidance and oversight by another individual who has the proper experience and education to employ best practices to foster excellence in 

 can streamline your meeting minutes workflow while maintaining accuracy. Automatically capture the date, time, and attendance and translate your notes into complete meeting minutes — all with just a click.

Role-based best practices for strong meeting minutes

How you approach effective meeting minutes will vary based on your role. However, the goal is always the same: clear, accurate documentation that supports informed decision-making and accountability.

A consistent template can expedite meeting minutes reviews and ensure all required elements (motions, votes, decisions) are included every time.

 Focus on capturing facts and outcomes, not opinions or commentary.

Note action items, responsible parties and deadlines to support board accountability.

 Circulate minutes promptly for review and approval while the meeting is still fresh. This enables the board to provide more accurate feedback if any changes are needed.

Focus on summaries, paying particular attention to decisions, directions and any strategic next steps. This can help ensure alignment with any upcoming department initiatives.

Make it easy to identify which items need follow-up by you or your department. Keeping the minutes and action items front of mind ensures your work aligns with the board’s priorities.

 Reference attached reports or decks rather than rewriting what’s already documented. This makes the minutes more usable and focuses your attention on key discussion points and decisions.

Use minutes as an internal alignment tool: 

After the meeting, share relevant excerpts with your team. Highlight key takeaways and decisions to keep everyone informed and on track.

Focus on oversight and governance decisions: 

Note how decisions are framed and recorded, especially regarding financials, strategic plans and risk management. Minutes should reflect that the board exercised its fiduciary duties.

Read through minutes critically to ensure they reflect what actually happened, including your contributions. Speak up during the approval process if anything seems off or incomplete.

 If motions, votes, or discussions are missing or unclear, request clarification before the minutes are finalized. Your vigilance helps maintain a clear historical record.

Use minutes to stay grounded between meetings:

 Revisit past meeting minutes before the next session to refresh your memory, follow up on open items and maintain continuity from one meeting to the next.

Ensure proper procedural language is included:

 Verify that meeting minutes reflect adherence to bylaws, quorum requirements and voting protocols. This helps ensure compliance with internal and external governance standards.

Capture key legal elements and disclosures: 

 disclosures, board approvals of contracts or policies, and discussions on legal risk or regulatory exposure.

 Assume meeting minutes could be subpoenaed or reviewed during an audit or investigation. Avoid vague or speculative language and focus on facts, decisions and official statements.

 Store final, approved minutes in a secure, searchable format that complies with retention policies. Ensure appropriate access for legal, board and compliance personnel.

 has made it easier for the secretary to prepare for meetings, take minutes, and write up final copies of meeting minutes faster and more accurately. The right technology creates effective meeting minutes that are:

 Besides the vast amount of time it takes to complete board meeting minutes manually, there’s a greater security issue. It's easy for notebooks, loose-leaf papers and scratch papers to fall off the table or get lost in the shuffle. Paper documents provide no security for board directors. Minute-taking software has built-in security, alleviating these problems. The product incorporates other enhancements as well.

 Secretaries or other minute-takers usually spend weeks or months preparing for a 

. Once everything is set for the meeting, the secretary must listen diligently to board discussions, deciding what information should be included in the minutes. The final copy of the minutes goes out to the board directors at the next meeting for 

. This process entails additional hours of printing papers, copying them, and allowing time for the minutes to be distributed to the directors. Minute-taking software streamlines this process, making it less resource-intensive and more accurate. AI-powered features automatically add key information like date and time, while one-click meeting minutes transform your notes into a document worthy of the corporate record.

 One of the many challenges for anyone taking minutes is to keep track of the topics. Minute-taking software has a built-in feature that automatically adds folder tabs for each meeting topic. The user simply clicks on the proper folder and types in the notes. The director can add the notes to the minutes later when they have more time to think through what information needs to be added or changed. Corporate secretaries can also prompt board members to review and approve the minutes within the portal, while automatic notifications keep board members on task, eliminating the need for endless follow-ups.

 One of the many benefits of an electronic template for meeting minutes is that the secretary can easily share the template with the board chair, making it easier and more efficient to collaborate. The software also makes it possible for board directors to communicate via messaging to the board chair or secretary during the meeting without undue disruption if they need to make a timely point.

 Good corporate governance requires board meeting minutes to be organized, accurate and formatted consistently. 

, meets this need and more. Much of the work of the minute-taker happens automatically as the minute-taking software pulls in information from the board book inside the security of the board portal.

Turn meeting minutes into a tool for board effectiveness

Effective meeting minutes are essential for capturing the essence of board meeting issues and outcomes. This capture becomes a pillar of board effectiveness — with the right record, boards can take action on meeting activities rather than leaving them at the table.

In this way, corporate secretaries and minute-takers should be more than scribes. They can be a trusted advisor who helps boards eliminate risk, identify opportunities, and ultimately, operate more efficiently than ever. 

 to learn more ways corporate secretaries can help take governance to the next level.

Diligent

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Identity Verification (IDV) under ECCTA: What UK companies must do now

How to take effective meeting minutes (with templates)

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