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18 June 2026

£3m in bonuses for C&G bosses? It doesn’t add up

City & Guilds trustees and PeopleCert ‘knew nothing’ about C&G’s post-sale bonuses, while the executives who cashed in claim everyone knew. Josh Mellor finds evidence of who’s telling the truth is in short supply…

Josh Mellor

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Conflicting accounts continue to emerge about whether City & Guilds Foundation trustees knew large bonuses were paid to senior executives after the sale of their awarding business.

Bosses at new owner PeopleCert this week alleged former awarding body chief executive Kirstie Donnelly and chief financial officer Abid Ismail paid themselves bonuses worth almost £3 million without PeopleCert’s or City & Guilds charity trustees’ knowledge.

But Donnelly and Ismail said they “categorically reject” PeopleCert’s allegations and claim to have evidence showing both the charity and PeopleCert were “fully involved” in structuring and approving their payouts.

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