Peripheral membrane component of the cis-Golgi stack that acts as a membrane skeleton that maintains the structure of the Golgi apparatus, and as a vesicle thether that facilitates vesicle fusion to the Golgi membrane (Probable) (PubMed:16489344). Required for normal protein transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus and the cell membrane (By similarity). Together with p115/USO1 and STX5, involved in vesicle tethering and fusion at the cis-Golgi membrane to maintain the stacked and inter-connected structure of the Golgi apparatus. Plays a central role in mitotic Golgi disassembly: phosphorylation at Ser-37 by CDK1 at the onset of mitosis inhibits the interaction with p115/USO1, preventing tethering of COPI vesicles and thereby inhibiting transport through the Golgi apparatus during mitosis (By similarity). Also plays a key role in spindle pole assembly and centrosome organization (PubMed:26165940). Promotes the mitotic spindle pole assembly by activating the spindle assembly factor TPX2 to nucleate microtubules around the Golgi and capture them to couple mitotic membranes to the spindle: upon phosphorylation at the onset of mitosis, GOLGA2 interacts with importin-alpha via the nuclear localization signal region, leading to recruit importin-alpha to the Golgi membranes and liberate the spindle assembly factor TPX2 from importin-alpha. TPX2 then activates AURKA kinase and stimulates local microtubule nucleation. Upon filament assembly, nascent microtubules are further captured by GOLGA2, thus linking Golgi membranes to the spindle (PubMed:19242490, PubMed:26165940). Regulates the meiotic spindle pole assembly, probably via the same mechanism (By similarity). Also regulates the centrosome organization (PubMed:18045989, PubMed:19109421). Also required for the Golgi ribbon formation and glycosylation of membrane and secretory proteins (PubMed:16489344, PubMed:17314401). {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:Q62839, ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:Q921M4, ECO:0000269|PubMed:16489344, ECO:0000269|PubMed:17314401, ECO:0000269|PubMed:18045989, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19109421, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19242490, ECO:0000269|PubMed:26165940, ECO:0000305|PubMed:26363069}. This is the function of Ensembl gene identifier ENSG00000167110 (GOLGA2, golgin A2).