Can anyone be a company director?

It is generally up to the members of the company to appoint individuals they believe will run the company extremely well on their behalf. There are a few restrictions that may prevent someone being appointed as a director:

• the individual must not be disqualified from acting as a company director (unless the court has given he/she permission to act for a particular company);
• the individual concerned must not be an un-discharged bankrupt (unless permission has been given by the court to act for a particular company);
• the individual must not be under the age of 16 (from 1 October 2008); and
• at least one director must be an individual (from 1 October 2008).

From 1 October 2008 any person who has not reached the age of 16 will cease to be a director. The minimum age limit applies to the whole of the United Kingdom, and any individual who has not reached the age of 16 will cease to be a director.  A notice will be put on the public register to show that the appointment has ceased.  The company will also need to amend its register of directors showing the ceased appointment and if the company is then left without an eligible director it will be required to appoint at least one director.