Former head of business group banned from directorships for 'abusing' COVID-19 loans

The erstwhile caput of 1 of Britain's starring concern groups has been banned from serving arsenic a manager for "abusing" authorities COVID-19 concern loans.

Award-nominated businesswoman Anna Daroy has 35 years acquisition advising institution boards successful the nationalist and backstage assemblage and served arsenic the interim manager wide of the Institute of Directors‎ (IoD), a salient concern lobby group, from October 2018 to November 2019.

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She herself has present been barred from being a manager for 11 years aft failing to wage backmost a £50,000 indebtedness overpayment.

It means Ms Daroy cannot beryllium progressive successful the promotion, enactment oregon absorption of a institution without tribunal permission.

The Insolvency Service, which investigated the issue, said connected Thursday that Ms Daroy "abused" the COVID-19 epoch bounce backmost indebtedness strategy by obtaining 2 loans erstwhile businesses were lone permitted one.

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The maximum £50,000 magnitude nether the bounce backmost strategy was paid retired twice, from 2 banks, some wrong 5 days of each different successful May 2020, the work said.

Upon realising her institution received treble the sum allowed, Ms Daroy should person repaid 1 of the loans, it added.

The recipient company, Globepoint Associates Ltd, went into liquidation successful March 2023, with some loans outstanding.

The Insolvency Service's main investigator, Kevin Read, said the loans were "designed to supply captious enactment to struggling businesses during the pandemic, not to beryllium exploited by those who did not travel the presumption of the scheme".

"As idiosyncratic with specified extended acquisition successful elder concern enactment roles, Ms Daroy should person known amended than to interruption the rules," said Mr Read. "More than 2,400 directors person been banned for COVID-19 indebtedness maltreatment since investigations began successful 2021."

Who is Anna Daroy?

Just past year, Ms Daroy was nominated for the prestigious Women's Business Club businesswoman of the twelvemonth award.

Since applying for the COVID-19 loans, she has held enactment positions astatine The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management arsenic good arsenic the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Ms Daroy has been contacted for comment.