Beacon is an independent and dedicated firm of company secretaries providing a full range of corporate compliance, technical and advisory services to clients based in Ireland, the UK, Europe, the US and Asia.

We are pleased to present a fresh, new and easily navigable site, providing for the delivery of our full range of corporate administration and management services to our clients.

We provide services to our clients who include:

  • Accountancy Practices
  • Law Firms
  • Owner-managed Businesses
  • Public Companies
  • Irish State bodies
  • Professional Trade Bodies
  • Charities

In all of our relationships we bring strong commitment to excellence of service,
accountability, honesty and respect for the confidentiality of our clients.

 

Our services

Throughout the lifetime of a company, there may be many changes to the personnel of the company. These appointments and resignations must be minuted and notified to the Registrar of Companies in a timely manner and complete records must also be kept with regard to updating the company’s Statutory Register. We can assist you in the preparation of the Board Minutes and the filing of the statutory documentation with the CRO. We can also maintain the Company Register on your behalf.

Every Irish registered company must have a registered office in the The State. We can provide a registered office in Dublin for your company, to include the onward forwarding of post in a manner specified by you.

We can also provide a registered office in the UK and other overseas jurisdictions, depending on where your company is incorporated.

Every Irish company must have a company secretary. For a sole director company, the company secretary must be another individual, or a corporate body.

You can engage us to act as the named company secretary of your company as we have the necessary expertise to do so. We can attend meetings of the Board of Directors and prepare the minutes of such meetings, together with providing advice on all matters of company law and corporate governance.

A company or an individual can apply to register a business name under which the company is proposing to operate. A company may wish to do this if it is intending to operate under a different name to that on its Certificate of Incorporation.

We can assist you in completing the necessary paperwork to register your business name.

During the lifetime of a company, the name of the company can be changed with the approval of the members. Similarly the members must consent to the adoption of a new constitution with the proposed new company name. The Registrar of Companies will issue a change of name certificate, provided the name is available and a similar name is not already registered.


We can assist you in completing the necessary documentation to change the name of your company.

Article 30 of the EU’s 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (“4AMLD”) requires all EU Member States to put into national law provisions requiring corporate and legal entities to obtain and hold information on their beneficial owner(s) in a central register. The Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act, 2010 as amended by the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Act, 2018 transposes the majority of the Directive (“4AMLD”) into Irish Law.

We can assist with the filing of this information on the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership and update the information thereafter, as required.

All companies registered in Ireland must file an annual return and accounts with the Companies Registration Office. A company’s first annual return must be filed on the six month anniversary of the incorporation of the company. Thereafter, an annual return and the relevant accounts must be filed on the anniversary of the annual return date.

The annual return sets out information on the director(s), company secretary and shareholding(s) of the company as at the date of the return.

We can assist with the filing of this annual return and liaise with your accountant to ensure timely filings with the Companies Registration Office. We can also arrange for the preparation of the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) documentation to approve and receive the accounts on behalf of the company and to conduct any other business pertinent to an AGM.

The Statutory Register of the company can be maintained in electronic or hard copy form at the registered office of the company or another nominated address in Ireland and must be kept up to date with any changes made in the company. These include changes to the directors, secretary, registered office, shareholdings and beneficial ownership of the company.

We can assist with the set up and maintenance of the Company Register on behalf of your company.

During the lifetime of a company, it may be necessary to revise and/or update the constitution of the company. There are many reasons why the constitution may need to be revised. These include, but are not limited to, a change in the share capital of the company, a redemption of shares, the issuing of a new class or classes of shares or the putting in place of a golden share. We have extensive experience in drafting new constitutions on behalf of our clients.

We can assist in the preparation of the necessary documentation and organise the required filings with the Companies Registration Office. 

The company must review its constitution prior to any new allotment of shares, consider the pre-emption rights, if any, that apply, agree the rights to be attached to the new shares and any premium that applies to the allotment of such shares.

We can also arrange for the necessary filings with the Companies Registration Office and for the Statutory Registers of the company to be updated.

We can assist with the preparation of documentation to amend the authorised share capital of the company, as well as Board Minutes and any resolutions required to approve any share allotments or share transfers in your company.

The holder of a golden share has the right to control the composition of the board of directors of the company. This type of share is often a simple way to create a group structure in order to facilitate intercompany lending. It is important to note that a golden share does not place the company into a tax group.

We can assist you in  the preparation of the necessary documentation to create a golden share in your company, to include, updating the constitution and preparing the filings for the Companies Registration Office.

A company may acquire its own shares from an existing shareholder by purchase, or in the case of redeemable shares, by redemption or purchase, subject to the company possessing sufficient distributable reserves, which comprise profits available for distribution or the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of the acquisition. The redemption of shares must be authorised by the constitution of the company.

A buyback of shares involves the execution of a contract with the shareholder and such contract must be available for inspection by the members.

We can assist in the preparation of the necessary documentation and filings at the Companies Registration Office.

A company can re-register from one type of company to another under the provisions of Part 20 of the Companies Act 2014. and the requirement to obtain the approval of the High Court to a re-registration no longer applies.

An application to re-register a private company limited by shares to an unlimited company has specific requirements, in that the company must have filed its accounts within the previous three months before the application is made.

We can assist in the preparation of the necessary documentation for the re-registration application to the Companies Registration Office, together with ensuring the application is made in a timely manner.

Where a company has ceased to trade or has never traded at all, it can apply to the Registrar of Companies to be voluntarily struck off the Register of Companies. There is a specific procedure for striking a company from the Register, including liaising with the Revenue Commissioners, arranging a newspaper advertisement and the filing of the relevant documentation with the Companies Registration Office. We would be happy to look after the strike off of the company on your behalf.

Alternatively, the company can be liquidated and we can put you in contact with a liquidator.

We can assist in the preparation of the application to the Companies Registration Office to strike off the company.

 

When setting up a business in the Republic of Ireland, one of the first responsibilities is to incorporate a company with the Companies Registration Office. The business activities of the company and your existing corporate structure, if any, will determine what type of company you should set up i.e. a Private Company Limited by Shares, a Designated Activity Company or a Company Limited By Guarantee for example.

We can assist you with the incorporation process by advising you on the type of company which would best suit your needs. We can also prepare all the relevant incorporation documentation and liaise with the Companies Registration Office in order to complete the incorporation process.

We can also assist with the incorporation of a company in other jurisdictions outside the Republic of Ireland should you require same.

Every Irish registered company must have a registered office in the State. We can provide a registered office in Dublin for your company, to include the onward forwarding of post in a manner specified by you.

We can also provide a registered office in the UK and other overseas jurisdictions, depending on where your company is incorporated.

We can assist you with the completion of the statutory documentation to reflect a change in your registered office address.

Every Irish company must have a company secretary. For a sole director company, the company secretary must be another individual, or a corporate body.

You can engage us to act as the named company secretary of your company as we have the necessary expertise to do so. We can attend meetings of the Board of Directors and prepare the minutes of such meetings, together with providing advice on all matters of company law and corporate governance.

We can assist you by providing advice on all matters of company law and corporate governance where required.

Throughout the lifetime of a company, there may be many changes to the personnel of the company. These appointments and resignations must be minuted and notified to the Registrar of Companies in a timely manner and complete records must also be kept with regard to updating the company’s Statutory Register.

We can assist you in the preparation of the Board Minutes and the filing of the statutory documentation with the CRO. We can also maintain the Company Register on your behalf.

A company or an individual can apply to register a business name under which the company is proposing to operate. A company may wish to do this if it is intending to operate under a different name to that on its Certificate of Incorporation.

We can assist you in completing the necessary paperwork to register your business name.

Article 30 of the EU’s 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (“4AMLD”) requires all EU Member States to put into national law provisions requiring corporate and legal entities to obtain and hold information on their beneficial owner(s) in a central register. The Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act, 2010 as amended by the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Act, 2018 transposes the majority of the Directive (“4AMLD”) into Irish Law.

We can assist with the filing of this information on the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership and update the information thereafter, as required.

All companies registered in Ireland must file an annual return and accounts with the Companies Registration Office. A company’s first annual return must be filed on the six month anniversary of the incorporation of the company. Thereafter, an annual return and the relevant accounts must be filed on the anniversary of the annual return date.

The annual return sets out information on the director(s), company secretary and shareholding(s) of the company as at the date of the return.

We can assist with the filing of this annual return and liaise with your accountant to ensure timely filings with the Companies Registration Office. We can also arrange for the preparation of the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) documentation to approve and receive the accounts and to conduct any other business pertinent to an AGM.

The Statutory Register of the company can be maintained in electronic or hard copy form at the registered office of the company or another nominated address in Ireland and must be kept up to date with any changes made in the company. These include changes to the directors, secretary, registered office, shareholdings and beneficial ownership of the company.

We can assist with the set up and maintenance of the Company Register on behalf of your company.

During the lifetime of a company, the name of the company may be changed with the approval of the members. Similarly the members must consent to the adoption of a new constitution with the proposed new company name. The Registrar of Companies will issue a change of name certificate, provided the name is available and a similar name is not already registered.

We can assist you in completing the necessary documentation to change the name of your company.

During the lifetime of a company, it may be necessary to revise and/or update the constitution of the company. There are many reasons why the constitution may need to be revised. These include, but are not limited to, a change in the share capital of the company, a redemption of shares, the issuing of a new class or classes of shares or the putting in place of a golden share. We have extensive experience in drafting new constitutions on behalf of our clients.

We can assist in the preparation of the necessary documentation and organise the required filings with the Companies Registration Office. 

A company may change its share capital and its shareholders in a number of ways including the creation of a new share class, the allotment of new shares or by way of a transfer of shares.

Section 69 of the Companies Act 2014 confers the authority on the directors to allot shares and any allotment of shares must be approved by the directors. The Companies Registration Office must be notified of such allotment and the Register of Members and Register of Beneficial Ownership updated accordingly.

Similarly, a transfer of shares must be approved by the directors, transfer documentation completed and payment of stamp duty to the Revenue Commissioners, if required.

We can assist you with any changes in the share capital of your company and we would be happy to discuss your requirements with you.

The holder of a golden share has the right to control the composition of the board of directors of the company. This type of share is often a simple way to create a group structure in order to facilitate intercompany lending. It is important to note that a golden share does not place the company into a tax group.

We can assist you in  the preparation of the necessary documentation to create a golden share in your company, to include, updating the constitution and preparing the filings for the Companies Registration Office.

A company may acquire its own shares from an existing shareholder by purchase, or in the case of redeemable shares, by redemption or purchase, subject to the company possessing sufficient distributable reserves, which comprise profits available for distribution or the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of the acquisition. The redemption of shares must be authorised by the constitution of the company.

A buyback of shares involves the execution of a contract with the shareholder and such contract must be available for inspection by the members.

We can assist in the preparation of the necessary documentation and filings at the Companies Registration Office.

A company can re-register from one type of company to another under the provisions of Part 20 of the Companies Act 2014.

There are specific requirements depending on which company type you wish to re-register to, and we would be happy to discuss your requirements and advise of which company type would best suit your needs.

We can assist with the preparation of the necessary documentation for the re-registration application and ensure the submission is made to the Companies Registration Office in a timely manner.

Where a company has ceased to trade or has never traded at all, it can apply to the Registrar of Companies to be voluntarily struck off the Register of Companies. There is a specific procedure for striking a company from the Register, including liaising with the Revenue Commissioners, arranging for a newspaper advertisement and filing the relevant documentation with the Companies Registration Office. 

Alternatively, the company can be liquidated and we can put you in contact with a liquidator.

We can assist in the preparation of the application to the Companies Registration Office to strike off the company.

company types

Private Company
Limited by Shares

Designated Activity
Company

Company Limited
by Guarantee

Unlimited
Company

Private Company Limited by Shares ("LTD")

Most frequent questions and answers

A Private Company Limited by Shares is the most common company type for small and medium enterprises.

The Company name must end with either “Limited” or “Teoranta”. 

Minimum of one director.

The Company Secretary cannot also be the sole director.

Minimum of one shareholder.

The company can avail of audit exemption and file abridged financial statements if it falls below the audit thresholds.

The shareholder(s) has limited liability.

Designated Activity Company ("DAC")

Most frequent questions and answers

A DAC is a private company limited by shares. The main difference between a private company limited by shares  and a DAC is that a DAC is incorporated to carry out a specific activity.

The company name must end with “Designated Activity Company”.

Minimum of two directors.

The Company Secretary may be one of the directors.

Minimum of one shareholder.

The company can avail of audit exemption and file abridged financial statements if it falls below the audit thresholds.

The shareholder(s) has limited liability.

Company Limited by Guarantee ("CLG")

Most frequent questions and answers

A CLG is a company limited by guarantee, which does not have a share capital. A CLG is typically used by not-for-profit organisations, representative bodies, sporting or charitable organisations and owner management companies, which are required to be a body corporate, but do not require shares to be issued in the capital of the company.

The Company name must end with “Company Limited By Guarantee”.

Minimum of two directors.

The Company Secretary may be one of the directors.

Minimum of one member.

The member(s) has limited liability up to the amount stated in the constitution and this is usually €1.00.

The Company can avail of audit exemption and file abridged financial statements if it falls within the audit thresholds.

Unlimited Company ("UC")

Most frequent questions and answers

An Unlimited Company has shareholders who have unlimited liability.

The company name must end with “Unlimited Company”.

Minimum of two directors.

The Company Secretary may be one of the directors.

Minimum of one shareholder.

The Company may avail of audit exemption and may not be required to file financial statements if it falls within the audit thresholds and other criteria.

The liability of the shareholder(s) is unlimited.

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Emma Dwyer

Emma is the latest addition to the Beacon team, having joined the company in 2020. She acts as the glue that holds the business together, ensuring that our services are delivered on time and on budget.

She studied Culinary Arts at Athlone IT and before coming to work with us, Emma had a successful career as a chef.

Her sister, Carol, Owner of the Company persuaded Emma to come on board and she now looks after our Financial Administration.

Emma is a committed member of her local GAA Club, St. Peter’s GAA, Dunboyne, where she acts as a coach with its Underage Section. She is an avid and dedicated Meath GAA Hurling, Football and Camogie fan, following the representative teams around the country to support them.

In her spare time, Emma enjoys reading and movies, the occasional glass of red wine and spending time with her family.

Sharon Spendlove

Sharon joined Beacon Company Secretaries in 2015, adding her knowledge and experience to the team. She has worked for over ten years in the Company Secretarial environment and her vast expertise further underpins Beacon's pursuit of excellence in its field.

 

Sharon studied law and was conferred with an LLB (Hons) Degree in Law from the University of Cardiff, Wales.

She worked in a number of legal practices before she discovered her love for Company Law and Management. Sharon has a vast knowledge of the compliance area and is very client focused having responsibility for both international and domestic clients in all aspects of corporate compliance.

When she’s not at work, Sharon is a dedicated walker, often clocking up 50km a week. She also enjoys movies, books and box sets.

She has worked tirelessly in the charity sector for many years, in particular, raising much needed funds for humanitarian causes at home and abroad. In 2018, she travelled with her daughter to India to see the result of a fundraising effort that raised €50,000 for a hospital there. All of this activity is fitted in around raising her two teenage daughters.

Emma Doyle

Emma joined the team at Beacon Company Secretaries in 2019, confirming and cementing her interest in Company Law and fulfilling her ambition to follow in her father's footsteps in the sector.

 

Emma holds a Certificate in Company Secretarial Law and Practice and most recently achieved a Diploma in Corporate Law and Governance from the Law Society of Ireland.

Previously, Emma worked in the aviation and hospitality industries, including serving as Cabin Crew for Emirates, in Dubai and in many leading hotels, including the K Club in Ireland.

Emma loves to tour Ireland, with Doolin being one of her favourite destinations. She’s seldom seen without her two Springer Spaniels, Cody and Archie, whose boundless energy keep her on her toes.

Emma’s a sports nut, regularly attending Leinster Rugby games at home and abroad. She also has a passion for Formula 1 Motor Racing, in particular the McLaren Team.

Carol Dwyer

Carol is vastly experienced in the Company Secretarial arena. She recently celebrated her tenth anniversary at Beacon, having joined the team in 2011.

 

Prior to working with us, she spent many years in London in various Company Secretarial roles. Since her return to Ireland in 1997, Carol has worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Hewlett-Packard International Bank plc.

A graduate of LSB, Dublin and certified by The Chartered Governance Institute, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the business and leads the team at HQ.

In her spare time, Carol is an avid GAA fan. She is heavily involved in her local Club, St. Peter’s GAA and will be seen at most Meath games as well. A keen runner, she has completed three marathons in the past five years.

On the rare occasions she’s not on a sideline, Carol enjoys catching up on box sets and old movies, or meeting friends and family for dinner and drinks.