Executive Committee 2020 -2021

Louise Smyth

President

Louise Smyth joined Companies House in September 2017 as Chief Executive and Registrar for England and Wales.

Before joining Companies House Louise held a number of senior positions at the International Property Office (IPO), including director of IT, Director of People, Places & Services.

Louise went on to become Chief Operating Officer in 2014, responsible for Corporate Services: IT, People, Places and Services and Finance.

Michael Brosnahan

Secretary

Since 2005 Michael has been the Registry Services Manager at the New Zealand Companies Office.  Between 1993 and 2005, Michael held the position of ICT General Operations Manager for the Ministry of Economic Development.

Within the Companies Office, Michael is responsible for the delivery of all New Zealand Companies Office services mainly through electronic systems and the internet for registers relating to Companies, Personal Properties Securities, Superannuation Funds, Incorporated Societies, Building Societies, Charitable Trusts, Unit Trusts, Friendly Societies Motor Vehicles Traders and Credit Unions.  Michael also oversees the New Zealand Companies Office international registry reform projects within developing countries, working extensively in the Pacific region and in Africa.

Michael holds the executive position of Secretariat for the Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) a role he was appointed to in 2011.

Conductor Paul Masena

Executive Committee

Mr Conductor Paul Masena was appointed as  the inaugural Registrar General of CIPA in August 2013. He is charged with driving the strategic direction of the Authority and ensuring that CIPA delivers its mandate as per the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority Act, 2011.

Mr Masena joined the then Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (ROCIP) in 1999 as a Commercial Officer and rose through the ranks to Commercial Officer – Head of Companies and Business Names (2001), Senior Commercial Officer – Head of Copyright Section (2003), Principal Commercial Officer – Head of Companies Division (2007), Deputy Registrar (2009), Registrar (2011),  until he become the Registrar General at the newly created parastatal (CIPA). He is credited with putting in place processes that significantly reduced the turn-around times for registering companies in Botswana, spearheading the amendments of the Companies Act, Copyright Act and the Industrial Property Act, and leading the transformation of ROCIP to an autonomous body. Mr Masena has also cemented CIPA’s relationship with international bodies such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) and the Corporate Registers Forum among others, ensuring that all CIPA activities are based on international standards.

A seasoned professional who has extensive experience in both Copyright and Industrial Property, Mr Masena was elected to chair ARIPO Administrative Council from 2009 to 2011. During his tenure as chairperson, ARIPO adopted the Swakopmund Protocol on Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore, approved a new organogram transforming ARIPO  into a more effective organisation and registered a surplus budget.

Mr Masena is a holder of a Master of Intellectual Property, Commerce and Technology, a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Economics and a Diploma in Trade Policy from the World Trade Organisation. He has also worked for the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology, Botswana Export Development and Investment Promotion Agency (BEDIA) as well as the Trade & Investment Promotion Agency (TIPA).  He is currently a Board Member of Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Marija Boshkovska Jankovski

Executive Committee

Marija Boshkovska-Jankovski joined Central register of the Republic of Macedonia in August, 2017 as General Director of the Institution. As professional in business economics and financial accounting management, she has been involved in the implementation of numerous development projects – essential for the progress of the Central register.

The Central register is self-financed government institution, which is currently in a process of upgrading the existing solutions with a new comprehensive service model – covering all significant aspects that directly affect the quality of services.

Her vision for the Central register arises directly from the needs of the private sector and all service users (including foreign and domestic investors), and from the institutional need to access and share up-to-date information in order to increase the efficiency of their work.

Ong Khiaw Hong

Executive Committee

Mr Ong Khiaw Hong was appointed the Chief Executive of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) on 1 Apr 2017. He also sits on several national committees including the Accounting Standards Council of Singapore and the Singapore Accountancy Commission. Internationally, he represents Singapore in the Executive Committee of the Corporate Registers Forum and on the Board of the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators.

Mr Ong has over 30 years of experience in the corporate accounting and tax field spanning policy, operations, regulations and corporate governance. Prior to joining ACRA, Mr Ong was the Deputy Commissioner (Corporate & Services) at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). He started his career in the Administrative Service, serving in the Education and Defence ministries.

Mr Ong obtained his Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (Honours) from the Victoria University of Wellington on a Colombo Plan Scholarship. He holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School.  He was conferred the Public Service Administration Medal (Gold) in 2010.

Rory Voller

Executive Committee

Advocate Rory Voller is the Cabinet-appointed Commissioner of the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) of South Africa.  He was a member of the legislative drafting team for both the New South African Companies Act and the Regulations, the Companies Amendment Act as well as the Intellectual Property Amendment Act on Traditional Knowledge.

He is a panel member on the Take-Over Regulation Panel (TRP) on Mergers and Acquisitions, a board member on the Anti- Money Laundering council, a member of the Financial Reporting Standards Council and the Ministerial Specialist Committee member of the Company law and Intellectual Property law committees. He is also appointed to the King Committee on Corporate Governance. He has also been elected for a second term 2019 to the Executive Committee of the Corporate Registers Forum, a body of Global Company Registrars.

As Head of the Intellectual Property Office of South Africa, Adv Voller also sits on the BRICS Heads of IP offices Committee made up of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Sanjai Raj

Executive Committee

Sanjai has 32 years public sector experience: Official Assignee, Group Manager Radio Spectrum Management and General Manager Consumer Protection & Standards.  Sanjai currently holds the position of General Manager Market Integrity with a portfolio that includes: Building Practitioner Licensing, Electrical Workers Licensing, Immigration Advisors Authority, Auctioneer Licensing, Business Registries, Radio Spectrum Management, Fuel Quality Monitoring, Legal Metrology, Motor Vehicle Trader Licensing, Criminal Proceeds – Integrity and Enforcement and the Insolvency and Trustee Service.

Sanjai holds the position of New Zealand Standards Executive and he is the Registrar for: Companies, Financial Service Providers, Building Societies, Friendly Societies and Credit Unions, Industrial and Provident Societies, Personal Property Securities and Unions.

Sanjai holds a Bachelor of Arts and an Masters in Public Administration.

Michelle Crosby

Executive Committee

Michelle Crosby is the Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Business Registry Services business line at the Australian Taxation Office and the Deputy Registrar of the Australian Business Register. Michelle is leading a transformational program of work across multiple government agencies to modernise business registers and introduce director identification numbers.

Michelle has extensive experience across both the private and public sectors, including senior roles in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Human Services.

Michelle holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Business (Accounting). In 2017, Michelle completed the Executive Fellows Program through the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

With the move of the Australian business registers from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to the ATO in 2021, Michelle assumes the leadership role for the registers for Australia.

Caroline Egesa

2021 Conference Director

Caroline Egesa joins the CRF Executive Committee as the Conference Director and liaison for the proposed 2021 CRF Conference. The conference was originally scheduled to be held in 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Caroline is a result oriented and competent Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and all Courts subordinate with 9 years’ experience spanning across corporate secretarial, commercial law and corporate and finance management. She also has experience in administration and human resource management having carried out roles that required such skills.

Caroline holds an Honors degree in Law from Makerere University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. She is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) UK, Uganda Law Society (ULS), East African Law Society (EALS).

Previously, Caroline worked with Diamond Trust Bank for 4 years as Company Secretary, Head Legal and Head of the Debt Recovery Unit having worked as Company Secretary of National Bank of Commerce prior to joining Diamond Trust Bank. Caroline also served as Associate Partner and Administrator with Muwema and Mugerwa Advocates for 4 years.

Kunjappa Latha

Assistant Secretary

Ms K Latha is a Senior Assistant Director with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). She is currently attached to the Registry Services Department in ACRA where she advises the department on registration matters and is involved in projects including reviewing key work processes and relevant policies.