Public Company Female Secretaries Group: Soft Shoulders Bearing Capital Responsibilities

Our reporters Li Qiaoyu

Women are playing an increasingly important role in the capital markets.

According to Wind Information data, the latest full-year report (2024 Annual Report) shows that there are already 392 female chairpersons, 498 female general managers, and 2,068 female board secretaries (hereinafter referred to as “secretaries”) in the A-share market. Our investigation found that the number of female chairpersons, general managers, and secretaries has doubled compared to ten years ago. Among them, the number of female secretaries has reached 2,068, accounting for over 30%.

As International Women’s Day approaches, our reporter spoke with several female secretaries from listed companies. Their career paths vary, but they all shine in the role of secretary—an position that combines professionalism, comprehensiveness, and challenge—by leveraging diverse backgrounds and complex skills.

From securities firms’ investment banking to corporate secretarial offices, the career transition of Xie Lingyu, secretary of Beijing Jingneng Thermal Power Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Jingneng Thermal”), exemplifies the flow of talent in the capital market. At the end of 2017, Xie Lingyu moved from a long-standing investment banking role at a securities firm to Jingneng Thermal. Prior to that, she was a member of the IPO counseling team, with a natural sensitivity to corporate compliance and financial authenticity.

In 2018, Xie Lingyu officially took on the role of secretary at Jingneng Thermal. Her perspective shifted from an external gatekeeper of the capital market to an internal participant in corporate development. She told Securities Daily that, besides adhering to compliance bottom lines, she also considers the company’s long-term growth, deeply integrating regulatory requirements, market demands, and strategic planning, seeking balance among multiple interests.

The growth of Guan Nian, secretary of Beijing Capital Eco-Environmental Protection Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Capital Eco-Environmental”), is a typical example of internal development within a company. Guan Nian initially worked in the legal department of Capital Eco-Environmental, honing rigorous logical thinking and risk awareness in risk control roles. Later, she transitioned to the securities affairs department, from senior manager to securities affairs representative, and finally to secretary. This career shift made her realize that a secretary needs not only professional skills but also strong team management and cross-departmental communication abilities.

Yu Hao of Beijing Laibotai Instrument Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Laibotai”) has accompanied the company’s growth for 23 years. After Laibotai successfully listed on the A-share market, Yu Hao’s role transitioned from finance to secretary.

Joining Laibotai in 2003, Yu Hao started with accounting and cash flow management in a startup, developing deep expertise in finance and eventually becoming the company’s financial officer. Later, as Laibotai prepared for an IPO and entered the capital market, she served as both financial head and secretary, bridging her financial expertise with capital market knowledge.

Her meticulousness in financial work allows her to excel in information disclosure and capital operations, with a keen control of data and risks. Her years of financial experience also give her a unique professional advantage in conveying company value, managing funds, and capital market activities.

Zheng Yitong, secretary of Beijing Chengyi Tong Control Technology Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Chengyi Tong”), has a background marked by engineering and science. In 2010, she switched careers from a non-financial major to join Chengyi Tong, attracted by its IPO development opportunities. Starting as a securities clerk, she experienced Chengyi Tong’s journey from IPO preparation to post-list mergers, acquisitions, and stock incentives.

2026 marks the seventh year since Beijing Zhongxin Technology Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Zhongxin”) officially listed on the capital market, and also the seventh year that Li Jingyi has accompanied Zhongxin in various roles. Before Zhongxin’s listing on the Growth Enterprise Market, Li Jingyi provided financial public relations services. In 2020, she officially joined Zhongxin, thus entering the financial information service industry. Since then, she has been involved in major capital events such as the acquisition of Wangxin Securities and mergers with Pioneer Fund. Her experience in financial PR has given her a more precise understanding of communication logic in the capital market and investor relations.

There is no “standard answer” for the growth path of secretaries. Female secretaries come from various professional backgrounds—investment banking, law, finance, financial PR—and their diverse experiences leave distinct professional marks. These differentiated advantages complement and integrate effectively with the professional and comprehensive nature of the secretary role, ultimately becoming core competitive strengths in their duties.

Periodic report disclosures are a major test for all secretaries. Li Jingyi has deep experience here. On January 31, Zhongxin disclosed its first 2025 annual report on the Growth Enterprise Market. “We need to be fully attentive,” Li Jingyi told us. “The information we disclose must be truthful, accurate, and complete. Every number and paragraph is carefully checked by the secretarial team and finance colleagues, to avoid any errors.”

Zhang Jinting, secretary of Beijing Chuangyi Tong Control Technology Group, shared her insights on investor communication. She believes that listed companies must strictly follow laws, regulations, and disclosure requirements, ensuring that insider information is kept confidential before public release, so that all investors receive information simultaneously. During major decision-making, companies should balance decision efficiency with channels like investor briefings, earnings calls, and interactive platforms to listen to small and medium investors. Additionally, high-quality disclosure relies on making data “speak”—not only revealing facts but also interpreting the underlying logic, transforming complex financial data and business insights into market-friendly content that helps investors truly understand the company’s value.

“Always stay highly sensitive to risks,” Xie Lingyu emphasized. Her experience in securities firms has made compliance her foundation and cultivated her risk awareness, enabling her to see beyond simple compliance checks and build bridges between listed companies, regulators, and shareholders with a more cautious approach. She states that a company’s secretary must not only strictly adhere to regulatory compliance but also organically connect shareholder demands with the company’s long-term strategic goals, translating them into clear development targets and steadily implementing them in operations.

After Laibotai’s listing, Yu Hao also served as both secretary and financial officer. A key part of her work was leveraging capital market financing tools to attract strategic investors and connect with long-term funds. Collaborating with the M&A and investment departments, she helped evaluate acquisition targets and advance projects. Her dual expertise in finance and secretarial work allows her to control key points in mergers and acquisitions, helping the company expand its business boundaries and achieve steady growth.

The continuous increase in the number of women executives in the A-share market reflects not just a change in numbers but an upgrade in the market’s concept of valuing ability over gender. Female executives, exemplified by female secretaries, are leveraging diverse professional backgrounds, unique gender traits, and sustainable development ideas to play an increasingly vital role in the capital market.