Worcestershire Business Leader Disqualified for 11 Years Over Covid Loan Scheme abuse
Worcestershire, UK – Anna Daroy, 61, the former director general of the Institute of Directors, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for 11 years after admitting to abusing the government’s Bounce Back Loan scheme. The insolvency Service announced the ban, effective September 10th, following an investigation into loans secured by Daroy’s management consultancy, Globepoint associates Ltd.
Daroy secured two £50,000 Bounce Back loans in May 2020 from separate banks, despite only being eligible for one. The Bounce Back Loan scheme was established to provide financial support to small and medium-sized businesses struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When Daroy realised her company had received double the amount of money it was allowed, she should have repaid one of the loans,” stated Chief Investigator Kevin Read. “Bounce Back Loans were designed to provide vital support to struggling businesses during the pandemic, not to be exploited by those who did not follow the terms of the scheme.”
Read added that daroy, with her extensive experience in senior business leadership, “should have known better than to break the rules.”
Globepoint Associates Ltd entered liquidation in March 2023 with both loans outstanding. Daroy served as director general of the Institute of directors from 2018 to 2019 and was shortlisted for the Women’s Business Club’s Businesswoman of the Year award last year. She has also held leadership positions at The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and the British Association for Counselling and psychotherapy.
The disqualification, accepted under a formal undertaking to the Business Secretary, prevents Daroy from directly or indirectly being involved in the management of a company until September 2036.
