Yahoo News IoD crisis fallout goes on as board member Ingham quits
The internecine warfare which rocked the Institute of Directors (IoD) this month has re-emerged with the exit of a fourth member of the influential business group's board.
Sky News has learnt that Erica Ingham, a media industry executive, resigned from the IoD earlier this week, ending a five-year stint on its board.
Sources said her departure was connected to the fallout from the crisis at the so-called "bosses' union", which saw Lady Judge, its chairman, quitting amid a string of allegations about bullying behaviour and racist language.
Sir Ken Olisa, the deputy chairman, and Arnold Wagner, another non-executive, also quit, leaving the IoD - a prominent commentator on corporate governance - facing the biggest boardroom shake-up in its long history.
Lady Judge was replaced on an interim basis by Chris Walton, a former easyJet executive, and a permanent chair is due to be elected in the coming months.
The IoD's director-general, Stephen Martin, played a key role in Lady Judge's ousting, having recorded her making allegedly racist remarks during a purportedly private conversation.
A report produced by Hill Dickinson, a law firm, outlined 41 allegations against Lady Judge, many of which she has denied.
In the document, Ms Ingham was said to have been complicit in encouraging a request by Lady Judge to delay the appointment of new IoD board members.
She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) was also accused by the law firm to have breached confidentiality obligations in relation to the impending disclosure of allegations against the chair.
It is unclear whether those comments in Hill Dickinson's report were valid.
Ms Ingham wrote in an email to Sky News that she had resigned because "I no longer feel that I can add any value to the work that I have already done as a board member, audit committee and nominations committee member".
She added that the demands of the IoD had put a strain on her time, given her other commitments, and said: "I also feel that our modus operandi is no longer aligned."
The IoD declined to comment beyond confirming that she had resigned.
When he resigned a fortnight ago, Sir Ken lambasted "clear flaws" in the process followed by the IoD's governing council and its board, saying: "Instead of showcasing good governance, we found ourselves in a surreal world of flawed processes, flagrant disregard for the principles of natural justic and a roughshod journey over the laws of the Institute."
He said the crisis had rendered the IoD "a laughing stock in the court of public opinion".
Mr Martin has sought to depict the purge of the group's former board members as being "necessary and proportionate", and said the affair would "result in a better Institute of Directors".
There are, nevertheless, concerns about the IoD's financial health, with membership hovering around the 30,000 mark.
