AP02 Appointment of Corporate Director

Companies are managed by their directors, who are responsible for making decisions on the direction of the company and who are liable for the actions of the company.

As well as having directors which are natural persons (i.e. human beings) a company can also have corporate directors, which are other companies. This is useful in cases where company A is a major shareholder in company B and wants to be represented on the board but doesn’t want to nominate a natural person to represent its interests.

Because it is very difficult for the human directors of a company which is itself a corporate director to be held personally responsible, it is a legal requirement that every company has at least one director who is a natural person.

Directors are selected and appointed in accordance with the procedures set out in the company’s Articles of Association, and these processes may vary between companies. Every company’s entry on the official register of companies contains details of its directors and Companies House must be notified of any new appointments. This form can be used to notify Companies House of the appointment of a new corporate director. Where the company is appointing a new individual director, it should use form AP01 instead.