TWO top executives at education charity City & Guilds were put on leave following the launch of an investigation last week into over a million pounds paid in bonuses.

Staff were told that its chief executive Kirstie Donnelly and chief financial officer Abid Ismail will be “absent from work for a short period.”

The Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the charity, following reports in the Guardian of million-pound bonuses for senior staff after City & Guilds privatised its business arm.

Payouts to City & Guild bosses were reported to have included a £1.7 million award for Ms Donnelly and £1.2m for Mr Ismail.

The bonuses were revealed after the business arm of the charity, which provides grants to people seeking vocational training, embarked on a £22m cost-cutting drive and is shrinking its workforce in Britain.

Both executives stayed with the business once it was sold to PeopleCert, an international certification company.

The Charity Commission is investigating events at the charity, not the private company.

Investigators will examine a range of issues with the charity, including “concerns raised in public reporting relating to the sale and bonuses awarded to its executives.”

City & Guilds wrote in an email to its staff, published by the Guardian: “We are writing to inform you that Kirstie Donnelly and Abid Ismail will be absent from work for a short period.”

It added that during the transition “their responsibilities will be carried out by Andy Moss, chief customer officer of City & Guilds, and Konstantinos Andrikopoulos, vice-president finance of PeopleCert.”

PeopleCert commissioned an internal investigation into events before and after its acquisition of City & Guilds’s training and qualifications business. A spokesperson said the investigation was ordered to understand the charity’s “awarding, assessment and training business (City & Guilds Limited), including the individual conduct of executives.”

City & Guilds alumni include former England football manager Gareth Southgate and chefs Jamie Oliver, Marcus Wareing and Gordon Ramsay.

Charity trustees said: “We remain confident that all actions taken by the trustees have been proper, transparent, and in line with our charitable purpose.”