Anonymous Director

[Ashley Evans]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking to set up a limited company for a project. However, I need my personal details to be completely hidden to the public. I know it sounds very dodgy but it's not. It's for a small project that will be donating approx 80% of it's profits to charity and doesn't intend on making much profit. Obviously HMRC will have to know who I am.

I've looked into buying an address and registering the company to that address. That seems simple enough. But how would I go about appointing a director that is not myself? Are there services that offer this?

Just to repeat, the activity of the business is not illegal in the slightest and will only aim to make a small amount (under £5K). Most of the profits will go directly to charity.

 

[ethical PR]

If you don't want to be associated with the business, just ask someone you know and trust to be the nominated director.

Why by the way is there a need for your details to be hidden from the public?

 

[billmccallum1957]

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...0622_NON-STAT_Summary_Guidance_4MLD_Final.pdf

 

[Lisa Thomas]

If it's just your personal address you're worried about you can use a service address for C House.

Anyone becoming a stooge Director of a Company they are not involved in should take caution - there are serious ramifications that can fall on them personally if the Company becomes insolvent.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

HMRC and companies house have things in place to protect everybody involved in trade and commerce in this country
If you require things to be so secretive maybe you should not be considering taking on a role that puts your name in the public domain
If your not prepared to take on this simple responsibility I can only assume that you may not want any of the other responsibilities that running a company bestows upon you

 

[The Byre]

I need my personal details to be completely hidden to the public.

If HMRC knows who you are, then so does everybody else and once your name is out there, either as a director or as an owner/shareholder or person of significant influence, it can be cross-referenced with anything else you might own or be involved with, past or present (for those of us who know what we are doing).

The only way around this, is to have a holding company in a jurisdiction/territory outside the UK that does not publish details of owners and directors and make a straw man (e.g. lawyer) the director.

If your not prepared to take on this simple responsibility I can only assume that you may not want any of the other responsibilities that running a company bestows upon you

I tend to agree. I cannot think of a legitimate reason for a person to need hide their identity. There may be some, but I cannot think of one.