Flex Co-sec Trainee Spotlight: Rafael

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July 23 2026

Building an Inclusive Future for Energy Governance Teams

Rafael Lara, Trainee Company Secretarial Assistant at National Grid, and the Flex Legal CoSec Trainee Scheme

The Case for Change

Representation of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds across the energy sector fell from 12.3% in 2023 to 8.9% in 2024. For an industry undergoing one of its most significant transitions, this trend raises important questions about whether legal and governance teams are accessing the full breadth of talent available to them.

Diversity within governance functions is not simply a matter of compliance or optics. It brings new ideas, different perspectives, and a broader range of professional experiences to teams responsible for some of the most consequential decisions in the sector. Programmes that actively address barriers to entry for underrepresented talent are therefore not just socially valuable, they are operationally important.

One such programme is Flex Legal’s CoSec Trainee scheme, a social mobility initiative that works with underrepresented legal talent to provide placements within FTSE 100 companies and fast-growing businesses. The scheme ensures that work experience and qualifications remain accessible, championing diversity across the company secretarial profession. Rafael Lara, currently a Trainee Company Secretarial Assistant at National Grid, is one of their success stories.

Background

Rafael is a first-generation immigrant whose family came to the UK and settled as asylum seekers. He grew up in a single-parent household as the youngest of three siblings. Like many children in immigrant families, Rafael learned early what it meant to pull together helping where he could and growing up quickly in a household where everyone played a part. Those experiences gave him a deep respect for precision, clear communication, and the systems that shape people’s lives. It was this foundation that would lead to his interest in governance: how organisations are directed, how decisions are made transparently, and how proper oversight protects people.

From his teenage years, Rafael worked alongside his studies and contributed to his family however possible, helping to shoulder wider responsibilities while remaining committed to his education. He graduated with a Law degree from the University of Reading in 2021, where he developed a strong interest in Company and Commercial Law. He became particularly drawn to the legal and governance frameworks that underpin the operation of energy companies.

Rafael is open about the fact that his background and witnessing his mother navigating a new country as a single parent has shaped his resilience and work ethic. He views it as a core part of his identity rather than an obstacle to overcome. However, he also recognises that for individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, talent alone is often not enough, without structured access to opportunity, capable people are routinely left behind.

Route into Company Secretarial Work

Rafael discovered the company secretarial profession through Flex Legal. Their CoSec Trainee scheme connected him with a placement at National Grid, where he has been seconded since September.

Shortly after joining, he completed Flex Legal’s Readiness Programme, a three-week course designed to equip trainees with practical and soft skills, as well as an understanding of the unspoken expectations of a corporate workplace. For Rafael, this proved critical in reinforcing professional judgement, communication, and workplace awareness during the early stages of his career at National Grid.

Contribution at National Grid

Rafael currently works as a Trainee Company Secretarial Assistant within the Company Secretariat team at National Grid, which sits within the General Counsel function. He has supported both the PLC and Subsidiary teams, gaining practical experience across operational compliance and strategic governance.

His responsibilities have included:

Co-ordinating sections of National Grid’s Annual Report;
Publishing announcements to the London Stock Exchange;
Completing filings with Companies House;
Managing Insider Lists;
Assisting with Confirmation Statements.

Through this work, Rafael has contributed to the delivery of key governance and compliance processes at National Grid, demonstrating the kind of practical capability that the Flex Legal scheme is designed to develop.

Manager Perspective

Alex Couter, previously Assistant Company Secretary at National Grid, line-managed Rafael. He noted that National Grid was drawn to Flex Legal’s initiative as part of the company’s commitment to being an inclusive employer.

“It has been and continues to be a privilege line-managing and working with Rafael. He is extremely organised, demonstrates capability, and indulges his curiosity by asking the right questions.”

“Initiatives like the Flex Legal program are a great way to unlock capabilities, foster diversity of thought and also help those from difficult socioeconomic backgrounds. I think the program itself is brilliant at finding hidden gems, who might not have otherwise been given their opportunity to excel. Well done and thank you, Rafael – excited to see what the future holds for you!”

The Broader Opportunity

Rafael’s experience illustrates a broader point for the sector. For individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, overcoming challenges to enter professional spaces is not an exception, it is the norm. With hardship and limited opportunity, success can feel weighted against them from the outset. Structured programmes like Flex Legal’s CoSec Trainee scheme address this directly by connecting capable individuals with meaningful professional experience.

Rafael has spoken about feeling that he has been given an opportunity his family may not have been offered in the past, and that this motivates him to deliver his best work. His story is, in many ways, a learning moment: talent exists across all backgrounds, and where structured support is in place, individuals from non-traditional routes can make meaningful contributions from day one.

For governance and company secretarial teams looking to build diverse, high-performing functions, the message is clear. Initiatives that remove barriers to entry and provide structured professional development are not peripheral to talent strategy; they are central to it. The support provided by organisations like Flex Legal and employers like National Grid in shaping inclusive, sustainable teams is not only important but essential in today’s job market.

As the energy sector continues to evolve, the governance professionals who guide it should reflect the full diversity of the communities it serves. Rafael Lara’s journey from Flex Legal trainee to contributing member of National Grid’s Company Secretariat team demonstrates what becomes possible when organisations commit to making that a reality.