The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) inaugurated its 27th National Conference of Practicing Company Secretaries in Pune on 13 June 2026, centered on the theme “Company Secretaries as Leaders: AI, ESG & Stewardship.” The conference brought together industry leaders, regulators, and governance professionals to discuss emerging opportunities in compliance, intellectual property, sustainability, and business growth. A key announcement was the introduction of online voting for ICSI Elections 2026, marking the first instance globally of a professional body conducting preferential voting through an electronic platform. Speakers highlighted the growing role of Company Secretaries in AI governance, compliance, ESG integration, intellectual property services, and innovation. ICSI also unveiled several professional development initiatives, guidance notes, certification programs, international collaborations, and upcoming conferences. Additionally, the Institute signed multiple MoUs with technology, compliance, cloud services, MSME, and academic partners to enhance professional opportunities, digital capabilities, and governance standards for its members.
THE INSTITUTE OF
Company Secretaries of India
IN PURSUIT OF PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Statutory body under an Act of Parliament
(Under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Corporate Affairs)
PRESS RELEASE
Chief of Bureau
13 June 2026
ICSI announces historic shift to e-voting for its Elections,
at the 27th National Conference of Practicing Company Secretaries in Pune
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India inaugurated its 27th National Conference of Practicing Company Secretaries, in Pune, on 13 June 2026.
Organized on the theme, Company Secretaries as Leaders: AI, ESG & Stewardship, the two-day Conference will bring together Industry Leaders, Senior Corporate Professionals, and Senior Officials from the Regulatory Bodies.
On the occasion, the ICSI proudly announced, ICSI Election -2026 through online mode. This is the first time in the world that Preferential Voting will be done through online mode by any professional body.
Emphasizing on Compliance in the Age of Al, special guest Prof. (Dr.) Gaurav Vallabh, Member (Part-Time), Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister elaborated that, “Company Secretaries are uniquely positioned to ensure Trust, Accountability, and Governance, and can serve as the Board’s Al Advisor, Compliance Integrator, Custodian of Evidence, Disclosure Professional, and Ethical Governance Champion. He further stated that, “Technology creates capabilities, but governance creates trust. In the era of AI, the defining competitive advantage will belong to organizations that deploy Al responsibly, as the future belongs to those who will adopt Al and govern it well.”
Talking about opportunities for CS professionals as Trademark Agents, Keynote Speaker, Prof. (Dr.) Unnat P. Pandit, Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM), Registrar of Copyrights (RoC) and Geographical Indications (GI), said, “By combining governance expertise with intellectual property service, Company Secretaries can become trusted partners in India’s innovation ecosystem by maintaining the highest standards of quality and accuracy.”
Highlighting ICSI’s forward-looking initiatives, CS Pawan G. Chandak, President, the ICSI, said, “Company Secretaries have evolved into strategic enablers of governance, innovation and sustainable growth, and this Conference reflects our commitment to equipping the profession with future-ready capabilities. As ICSI advances transformative initiatives such as e-voting in its elections and explores platforms inspired by the Invest India ecosystem to foster B2B engagement and investment opportunities, we are strengthening transparency, participation and value creation for businesses and for India’s growth trajectory.”
The conference emphasized the role of Company Secretaries in driving innovation, sustainability and business growth, through the following thematic technical sessions:
- IPR Practices & Procedures
- Compliance in the Age of Al
- Strengthening Stewardship through ESG Integration
- Catalysing Growth for MSMEs & Start-ups
The event will also host two engaging panel discussions on CS Profession in the next decade and Disciplinary Mechanism of ICSI, to provide valuable perspectives on professional excellence, ethical standards and changing expectation from Governance Professionals.
The ICSI announced the 54th National Convention of Company Secretaries, Joint Certification Course on Trademarks, Certificate Course on ESG & UK Regulatory Compliance, ICSI India-Australia Facilitation Centre, ICSI 5th International Conference in Mauritius, and ICSI Invest India Summit, on the occasion.
The ICSI also unveiled, Guidance Note on Related Party Transactions (Revised Edition, 2026), Corporate Governance-From Compliance to Excellence Version 5.0, Guidance Note on Secretarial Compliance Report (SCR) for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Guidance Note on Secretarial Compliance Report (SCR) For Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), and the Souvenir of the 27th National Conference of Practicing Company Secretaries.
Further, the ICSI inked the following MoUs on the occasion, to provide enhanced opportunities and benefits to its members:
- MoU with eMSME (AJVA FINTECH PRIVATE LIMITED). [eMSME Saarthi a platform which assists stakeholders to discover numerous schemes introduced by the Central and State Governments for the benefits of MSMEs].
- MoU with Axar Digital Services Pvt Ltd. [innovative software solutions for Compliance and Board management].
- MoU with Bharath Cloud Services, Al Integrated cloud eco system for providing cloud facility to members.
- MoU with M/s. TSS Consultancy Private Ltd. for providing “Screenzaa” a due-diligence and compliance screening platform for sanctions and watchlist checks of clients from the sanction list or defaulter list to the ICSI Members at discounted price.
- MoU on Academic Collaboration with Symbiosis University, Pune for Skill Development Programmes.
CS Dwarakanath Chennur, Vice President, The ICSI, CS Rajesh Tarpara, Council Member & Chairman PCS Committee, The ICSI, CS Ashish Karodia, Council Member & Programme Director, The ICSI, CS Yogesh Choudhary, Chairman, WIRC, The ICSI, and CS Vishal N. Salunke, Chairman, Pune Chapter, The ICSI, also addressed the gathering.
CS Asish Mohan, Secretary, The ICSI, presented the Vote of Thanks
Preeti Kaushik Banerjee
Joint Secretary
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India
Tel: 011-4534 1022
Email: preeti.banerjee@icsi.edu
About ICSI
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) is a premier professional body set up under an Act of Parliament, i.e., the Company Secretaries Act, 1980, for the regulation and development of the profession of Company Secretaries in India. It functions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. The Institute, being a pro-active body, focuses on top-quality education for students of the Company Secretaries Course and sets the best quality standards for CS members. The Institute has over 80,000 members and about 2.5 lakh students on its roll.
