Louise Smyth will once again serve as president of the leading global network of business registries after being elected to the position for a second consecutive time.
Louise, who is also the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales, will serve another 2-year term with the Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) after a vote by members.
The news was formally announced at the CRF's annual general meeting today (Friday 20 October 2023).
The CRF is the leading international association of business registries from more than 60 nations across the world. Members meet regularly to share ideas, examples of best practice and benchmark performance. Last year the CRF launched an innovative 5-year strategy aimed at improving global standards.
Louise Smyth said:
It is an honour and a privilege to have been elected president of the Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) for a second time.
As well as being incredibly proud of the work that's been done to promote co-operation among our members, I am equally delighted to see how the CRF is helping to drive up international standards and promote economic growth.
As the global business environment continues to evolve, I'm excited to help push the CRF to new heights and cement our position as the world's leading association of corporate registries.
Louise, who was first elected CRF President in 2021, is overseeing an ambitious 5-year transformation programme at Companies House, where she has been chief executive since 2017. Significant and far-reaching reforms to Companies House powers are currently passing through the UK Parliament.
Companies House register data was accessed over 14 billion times in 2022/23 and supports millions of business decisions each year. Research estimates the value of Companies House data to users and the wider economy at up to £3 billion per year.
CRF Executive Committee Member Chin Li Fen said:
My heartiest congratulations to Louise on being elected CRF President for a second term.
Louise is well respected by the CRF community and has done a great job leading the organisation over the past 2 years, making several important improvements to the CRF's constitution and strategic vision.
Louise's wealth of experience at the heart of Companies House reform has brought immense value to CRF, and we look forward to continued collaboration as we support one another to deliver greater value to our stakeholders.
CRF Executive Committee Member Trent Jakubowski said:
We are very delighted to have Louise continue in this role for another term.
Louise brings valuable experience from her role with Companies House in the UK and is heavily invested in the outcomes and activities of the CRF.
We look forward to another successful term with Louise at the helm.
