secretaris

Secretaris is a term used in Dutch and Afrikaans to denote a person who performs secretarial and administrative duties. In English, the direct equivalent is secretary. The word is applied both to ordinary secretarial staff and to formal offices within organizations and public bodies.

Common duties include managing correspondence and documents, maintaining schedules, arranging meetings and travel, taking and distributing minutes, organizing filing systems, and handling routine financial tasks and confidential information. A secretaris often serves as a point of contact between executives, colleagues, clients, and the public, and may perform tasks related to governance, record-keeping, and office logistics.

In public administration, secretaris can denote a staff member within a ministry or agency or the secretary of a committee or board who is responsible for administrative support and procedural matters. In some countries, a higher-ranking position exists such as the secretary-general (secretaris-generaal) in a ministry, who heads the administrative side of the department. In corporate and non-profit contexts, the term can align with the role of a company secretary, focusing on governance, compliance, and corporate records.

Etymology traces secretaris to Latin secretarius, meaning one entrusted with secrets, via French and Dutch usage. The term has regional variations and is sometimes confused with nobiliary or governmental titles; its exact scope depends on the country, institution, and rank of the individual.

See also: secretary, company secretary, notary.