Corporate director meaning

Appointment flowchart This Checklist explains the actions the directors or the company must take to appoint an administrator via the out-of-court route under paragraph 22 of Schedule B1 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986). Several criteria must be satisfied and specific steps completed. For fuller guidance, refer to these Practice Notes, to be read alongside this Checklist: Out-of-court administrator appointments—who can appoint and in what circumstances? Out-of-court administration appointments by a company or its directors—the procedure For a snapshot, the flowchart below outlines the core steps. It assumes the company is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), although the Checklist does include the extra actions needed where regulation applies. Appointment checklist Step/action — Time (days) — Section/rule Pre-appointment If the company is to make the appointment, it may either pass a written resolution or convene a general meeting to vote to appoint an administrator by ordinary resolution......

This checklist highlights the principal matters to review when a new individual joins a limited liability partnership (LLP), covering legal, regulatory and practical considerations. Identity of new member Full name and residential or registered address of the incoming member? Confirm the individual is not an undischarged bankrupt and is not prohibited from acting as an LLP member or as a company director. Check whether any current agreements or restrictive covenants (eg employment, LLP, joint venture, finance documents) could limit their ability to join or commit to the LLP. LLP agreement and other documentation What mechanism in the current LLP agreement governs the admission of new members? Will a deed of adherence/accession be required? Are any amendments needed to the terms of the existing LLP agreement? Do any related contracts require variation or consent, eg leases and IP licences?...

This Checklist outlines the position in relation to a creditors’ voluntary liquidation (CVL) with effect from 6 April 2017. Notifications The appointed liquidator must provide the registrar of companies with the following: a copy of the statement of affairs, to be delivered within five business days after the conclusion of the decision procedure or deemed consent procedure relating to the liquidator’s appointment a copy of the notice of appointment of liquidator, to be sent within 14 days of the appointment The registrar of companies should be notified using Form 600CH. If the liquidator chooses to move the company’s registered office to their business address, they should also submit to the registrar of companies a copy confirming the change of registered office (if this has not already been filed). In February 2014, Companies House issued guidance answering frequently asked questions about insolvency filings at Companies House (most recently updated on 10 March 2022). The guidance contains a list of the...

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In Downtul Ltd [In Liquidation] v Companies Act [2025] IEHC 358, the Irish High Court imposed restrictions for a period of five years on two directors, after determining that they did not act prudently or have proper regard to the interests of Downtul Limited (the Company) as a distinct entity within a complex corporate arrangement. The decision underlines the intricate nature of directors’ obligations in group scenarios and the need to prioritise the interests of each separate company. As a result of the restriction order, the two individuals—each currently sitting on the boards of more than 100 Irish companies—are barred from acting as company directors for five years unless the relevant company has a nominal share capital of at least €100,000 (or €500,000 where the entity is a public limited company or an unlimited company). Background The individuals were directors of the Company, which leased a commercial premises later occupied and run as a Starbucks café by another company, Atercin. They also served as directors of Atercin...

In this issue: Companies House Corporate governance Equity capital markets Accounts and reports Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Companies House Companies House announces fee changes from February 2026 Companies House has confirmed a revised fees schedule from 1 February 2026, following its annual assessment to align charges with the cost of providing services. Notably, the digital incorporation filing fee will rise to £100, and the digital confirmation statement fee will increase to £50. These adjustments are set out in the Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1137), which were laid before Parliament on 30 October 2025 and take effect on 1 February 2026. The accompanying explanatory memorandum states that the updated fees are intended to recover increased costs linked to implementing the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023) and the Economic...

In this issue: Corporate governance Environmental, social and governance issues Directors Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Corporate governance FRC publishes report to support transition to UK Stewardship Code 2026 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued ‘Preparing for the UK Stewardship Code 2026: Applying insights from current reporting’ to support signatories as they move to the refreshed Code, which comes into force on 1 January 2026. The publication offers pragmatic guidance and examples of high-quality disclosures to help asset owners, asset managers and service providers align with the Code’s simplified reporting framework. Under the 2026 Code, a dual reporting approach applies: a Policy and Context Disclosure must be lodged every four years, complemented by an annual Activities and Outcomes Report showing how the Principles are put into practice. The FRC’s paper also explores areas including engagement disclosures, the selection and oversight of external managers,...

Offence of re-using company name without permission The Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986) curtails the re-use of a company’s name for five years where, in the year leading up to insolvency, any director or shadow director of the insolvent company becomes involved with the successor entity (see Who is caught by the restriction?). A director must not participate in a business that adopts the identical legal or trading name, or a name so alike as to imply a link with the earlier company, unless an exception applies (see Scope of restriction). Importantly, this curb is imposed on the individual rather than the company itself, as there are numerous innocent or practical reasons why different companies may carry the same or a comparable name. Under IA 1986, s 216, breaching this curb constitutes a criminal offence, and section 217 is aimed at removing the financial attraction of exploiting insolvency by allowing creditors to seek to pierce the corporate veil and by rendering any director (or any accomplice) who contravenes section...

Meaning of ‘non-executive director’ The broad definition of ‘director’ is not closed. Under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006), a director is any person who occupies the office of director, whatever title they hold. Accordingly, this covers both executive and non-executive directors (NEDs). Executive directors are typically authorised, either by the company’s constitution or by authority delegated from the board, to manage the company’s day-to-day affairs, and they usually have a full-time service contract. NEDs generally: have no executive powers play a pivotal role in the company’s corporate governance are not employees of the company There are a number of challenges around granting shares to NEDs. This Practice Note considers the issues to assess when offering shares or share-based remuneration to NEDs, including: the potential impact on the NED’s independence the share dealing provisions of Assimilated Regulation (EU) 596/2014 for the UK, and the Market Abuse Regulation (Regulation (EU) 596/2014) previously and for the EU ...

Subscription and shareholders’ agreement This Practice Note offers guidance for drafters preparing and/or reviewing a subscription and shareholders’ agreement relating to the allotment of shares (and, potentially, loan notes) in a private limited company incorporated in England and Wales by a private equity (or venture capital) fund investor (the investor) within a venture capital (VC) deal, where the structure provides for split exchange and completion, ie conditions must be met before completion of the subscription and shareholders’ agreement. The investment contemplated is into an existing company (the Company), with the current shareholders (typically the business’s founders) keeping the shares they have already been issued in the Company. Set out below are matters to weigh up when drafting and/or reviewing the principal provisions of a subscription and shareholders’ agreement (SSA). Parties The investee company Although the principal parties to the SSA will be the relevant investor and the Company’s founders, the Company will ordinarily be included as a party too, ie the vehicle in which the investor...

This Agreement is executed on [ date ] Parties 1 [ Name of company ] , a company constituted in [ Scotland ] bearing registered number [ number ] with its registered office at [ address ] (the Company ); and 2 [ Name of employee ] , of [ address ] ( you )...

STOP PRESS : Significant reforms to the UK prospectus regime came into force on 19 January 2026 Major changes to the UK regime for public offers and admissions to trading took effect on 19 January 2026. The framework for securities offers and UK market admissions is now chiefly contained in the Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations 2024, SI 2024/105 (the POATRs), together with the FCA sourcebook, The Prospectus Rules: Admission to Trading on a Regulated Market (PRM). The UK Prospectus Regulation and the FCA Prospectus Regulation Rules have been repealed. The reforms aim to simplify capital raising and substantially lessen the circumstances in which a company must publish an FCA-approved prospectus for a further share issue. For full details of the changes, see Practice Note: UK prospectus regime reform. This Practice Note sets out the prospectus regime that applied before 19 January 2026...

That [ insert name of proposed director ] and [ insert name of director ], having agreed to serve, are appointed as directors of the Company [ to take effect at the close of this meeting OR to take effect from [ insert date ] ]...

Where documents are deeds, they must expressly state they are executed by the company itself. A document will be treated as executed as a deed if it is properly executed by the company and delivered as such...

We proceed on the basis that the pension scheme in question is a defined benefit scheme and that the former MND is a member. Whether the former MND should first contest the outcome of the MND election through the pension scheme’s internal dispute resolution procedure, or complain straight to the Pensions Regulator, depends on the nature and seriousness of the breach...