New City & Guilds Owners Inflate Executive Salaries Amid Cost-Cutting Effort
The new owners of vocational training body City & Guilds have tripled the pay of its top six executives as the company embarks on a £22m cost-cutting drive, reducing its UK workforce by hundreds of roles.
Since the sale last October, City & Guilds has been implementing significant cuts, with the company revealing that it aims to achieve £13m in savings through "personnel cost synergies". This includes failing to replace staff leaving the institute with new UK hires and relocating jobs to Greece at a reduced cost. However, these measures have come under scrutiny as it has emerged that the cumulative pay of the qualification body's top six executives has increased by around 240% in the current financial year, from £1.8m to approximately £6.2m.
The increase is believed to include one-off bonuses of more than £4m for these executives, which have raised eyebrows given the company's cost-cutting efforts. The Guardian understands that the total annual bonus scheme now totals more than £2m for the group of six, with overall bonuses paid to C&G executives reaching around £4.5m.
The new owners have faced criticism for their pay increases amid the cost-cutting drive, which has resulted in the reduction of hundreds of UK jobs. PeopleCert, the international certification company behind the sale, has declined to comment on the apparent coincidence between the company's executive remuneration bill and its cost-cutting efforts.
City & Guilds had previously claimed that trustees were not involved in discussions regarding remuneration matters for CGLI executives after the sale. However, it appears that some of these discussions took place among the charity's trustees before they voted on bonuses in May 2025, which are similar to those awarded by PeopleCert.
The Charity Commission is currently investigating the sale, with City & Guilds London Institute being sold to PeopleCert for an undisclosed sum. The inquiry has raised concerns about governance and accountability within the organization.
The new owners of vocational training body City & Guilds have tripled the pay of its top six executives as the company embarks on a £22m cost-cutting drive, reducing its UK workforce by hundreds of roles.
Since the sale last October, City & Guilds has been implementing significant cuts, with the company revealing that it aims to achieve £13m in savings through "personnel cost synergies". This includes failing to replace staff leaving the institute with new UK hires and relocating jobs to Greece at a reduced cost. However, these measures have come under scrutiny as it has emerged that the cumulative pay of the qualification body's top six executives has increased by around 240% in the current financial year, from £1.8m to approximately £6.2m.
The increase is believed to include one-off bonuses of more than £4m for these executives, which have raised eyebrows given the company's cost-cutting efforts. The Guardian understands that the total annual bonus scheme now totals more than £2m for the group of six, with overall bonuses paid to C&G executives reaching around £4.5m.
The new owners have faced criticism for their pay increases amid the cost-cutting drive, which has resulted in the reduction of hundreds of UK jobs. PeopleCert, the international certification company behind the sale, has declined to comment on the apparent coincidence between the company's executive remuneration bill and its cost-cutting efforts.
City & Guilds had previously claimed that trustees were not involved in discussions regarding remuneration matters for CGLI executives after the sale. However, it appears that some of these discussions took place among the charity's trustees before they voted on bonuses in May 2025, which are similar to those awarded by PeopleCert.
The Charity Commission is currently investigating the sale, with City & Guilds London Institute being sold to PeopleCert for an undisclosed sum. The inquiry has raised concerns about governance and accountability within the organization.
What's going on here?! I'm all for a good profit, but £4m in bonuses? That's just crazy talk! 
They're cutting jobs left and right, but still throwing cash around like it's going out of style. UK workforce reduced by hundreds and they're over here celebrating with the fat cats. And what's with the lack of transparency from PeopleCert? The Charity Commission should be all over this... 
That's just crazy talk! And adding on top of that, it seems like they're getting paid millions in bonuses while reducing jobs and failing to replace staff who leave. It's like they're trying to benefit themselves more than the people they're supposed to be helping 
I just can't believe the new owners of City & Guilds are inflating executive salaries while cutting costs and reducing jobs 
. It's like they're not even trying to hide it, with bonuses reaching over £4.5m! The Charity Commission is right to investigate this - it's a clear case of executives being prioritized over employees and the organization as a whole 
Ugh I'm really not feeling this new ownership deal... they're basically taking away UK jobs 
while giving themselves a massive raise 
especially with those one-off bonuses 
that's just crazy! They should at least try to cut down on the fancy bonuses, ya know? 
which doesn't help matters... and now there's even talk of a Charity Commission investigation 
what's going on?! 
here's a little diagram to show what's going on:
. I think it's fair to say that the new owners should be more transparent about their decision-making process and how much the execs are getting paid 
. Maybe they could also explore ways to help those who lost their jobs find new opportunities? 
they tripled the pay of their top execs just when they're trying to cut costs lol what's good is people saying it's unfair, like how r they gonna justify giving them a 240% raise while cutting jobs?? 
I don't get why ppl in power think they can just do whatever and not face the consequences. anyway, gotta stay tuned for more updates on this 
I feel so angry and disappointed for all the people who lost their jobs at City & Guilds... £4m bonuses for just 6 executives? That's just not fair! 
It seems like they're more concerned with lining their own pockets than helping others who actually need vocational training. 
I hope the Charity Commission can get to the bottom of this and ensure that these people are held accountable for their actions. 
. And it gets even worse - one-off bonuses of over £4m for these execs? That's like giving them a fat Christmas present while everyone else is struggling to make ends meet 
. The numbers don't lie though: 240% increase in pay from £1.8m to £6.2m... that's some serious cash