Institute of Directors chair Lady Barbara Judge “steps aside” after serious misconduct allegations

The head of the influential Institute of Directors (IoD) has stepped down to battle serious allegations about her behaviour and conduct towards staff after a legal investigation launched by the lobby group, according to Sky News and the Times.

A legal report commissioned by the business lobby group found Lady Barbara Judge prompted her to “voluntarily step aside” temporarily to fight the claims, according to the Times.

An IoD spokesperson said: “Our HR department was made aware of a number of allegations from staff members concerning the conduct of non-executive members of our board.”

The spokesperson said the findings will be discussed today by the IoD council, the body which ensures the organisation sticks to its duties under a Royal Charter. Dame Joan Stringer, the senior independent council member, was responsible for commissioning an investigation into the allegations carried out by the Hill Dickinson law firm.

Judge joined the IoD in 2015, becoming the organisation’s first ever female chair. The 71-year-old has had a distinguished career across the world, which included becoming the youngest person to be made a member of US Securities and Exchange Commission.

She has also worked as the first female director of British merchant bank Samuel Montagu & Co and had senior roles at Bankers Trust International Banking, News International, and UK Atomic Energy Authority.