Every company has a handful of people you keep needing: the directors who sign, the partners who approve, the auditor who asks for papers and the company secretary who files. A key persons list keeps their names and contact details in one place, so nobody digs through old emails at filing time. Here is how to build one in Manage, and what to keep on it.
Why a key persons list is worth the ten minutes
Compliance work is mostly waiting on the right person. A director must sign the annual filings, a partner must approve a return, an auditor needs the books. When contact details live in six different phones and inboxes, a deadline turns into a hunt.
A single list per company fixes this. Anyone who works on the company can see who the people are, what their role is and how to reach them. It also helps when a CA firm or a new accountant takes over, because the context is already written down.
Who belongs on the list
Think of the people the business, its CA and the authorities regularly deal with. In Manage, each person gets a Person Type from a fixed list:
- Ownership and control: Director, Owner, Proprietor, Promoter, Shareholder, Partner, Designated Partner, Trustee and Member.
- Professionals: Professional, Auditor, Accountant, Advocate and Company Secretary.
- Day-to-day: Manager.
Pick the type that matches the person's actual role for that company. The same individual can be a Director in one company and an Auditor's contact in another, because each company has its own list.
Step by step: add a key person in Manage
- Open Key Persons from the left menu in Manage.
- Search for the company and open it. The list shows people already added, with their type, mobile, email and city.
- Choose Add Key Person. A panel opens with three cards: Personal Details, Contact Details and Location.
- Fill in the First Name and choose a Person Type. These two are required; Manage will not save without them.
- Add the contact details you have: Regd. Mobile, Regd. WA Mobile (for WhatsApp), Regd. Email, and a Secondary Mobile and Secondary Email as a backup.
- Add the city, state and country. Country starts as India; for another country the state is set automatically.
- Select Create Key Person.
To change someone later, use Edit on their card, then Update Key Person. The search box above the list filters by name, type, mobile, email or city, which helps once a company has many people.
What to keep on the list, and what not to
The form asks for names and contact points only. That is deliberate and a good habit: a contact list is not the place for PAN copies, Aadhaar numbers or passwords. Keep identity documents in a controlled document store with proper access, and keep the key persons list for reaching people.
A few practical rules:
- Use the mobile and email the person actually reads. Regulatory messages go to registered contacts, so keep the "registered" fields current.
- Add a secondary mobile or email for people who travel or change numbers often.
- Review the list when a director resigns, a partner retires or the auditor changes. Delete or edit the entry the same week.
An example: a private company with four contacts
Suppose you look after a small private company. Its list might hold two Directors, one Company Secretary and the statutory Auditor. Each Director has a registered mobile, a WhatsApp number and an email. The Company Secretary has an email and a mobile. The Auditor has an email and a city.
When the board meeting is called, you search "Director" and see both names with their numbers at once. When the auditor asks for a document, you search the auditor's name and find the right email. Nothing here needs a spreadsheet, and nobody has to remember who holds which number.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Choosing the wrong type. A Partner and a Designated Partner are different roles for an LLP. Pick the one that matches the person's actual position.
- Leaving only one contact. If the only mobile is switched off, the entry is no help. Add a secondary mobile or email.
- Forgetting old entries. A former director who stays on the list invites wrong calls and wrong assumptions about who can sign.
- Typing names inconsistently. Use the name as it appears on official records, so searching and matching stay simple.
Who can add, edit or delete
Not everyone who opens a company can change its key persons. In Manage, only the creator of the company can add, edit or delete. If a company has been shared with you, you can view the list and search it, and Manage shows a notice that only the creator can change it. This keeps the list trustworthy when several people have access.
Deleting asks you to confirm, and the dialog names the person and the company, so you do not remove the wrong entry. For wider access questions, read our guide to workspace team and company users in Manage.
Keeping the list useful at filing time
A tidy list pays off during the year-end rush. Before the annual filings in the MCA annual filing calendar, check that every director and the company secretary have working contact details, so signatures and approvals are not delayed. Likewise, before an AOC-4 filing, confirm who is authorised to sign.
If you also set up branches and years, the guide on financial years and branches in Manage shows how the rest of the company profile fits together. A CA can confirm which roles and signatories your specific entity needs.
Key takeaways
- One key persons list per company means the right contact is a search away.
- First name and person type are required; mobile, WhatsApp, email and city are optional but worth filling.
- Keep contacts only, not identity documents or passwords.
- Only the company creator can add, edit or delete; shared users can view.
- Review the list whenever a director, partner or auditor changes.
If you manage several companies for clients, Aicountly Manage gives each company its own Key Persons list next to its branches, financial years and print assets, so the basics sit in one place.
