Kirsty Lynette Payne was the FD at Media Matters (Peterborough) Limited.

The company offered pre-press and pre-media services and was established in 2015. Payne became a director and majority shareholder in May 2018.

The Insolvency Service report into her conduct found that Payne raised 30 false invoices between 15 June 2022 and 11 August 2022 totalling £327,031, which she sent to the factoring company for payment.

Between 16 June 2022 and 13 September 2022 a total of £289,543 was received into Media Matters’ bank account from the factoring company, of which at least £202,009 was in respect of the false invoices raised by Payne.

Media Matters (Peterborough) went into voluntary liquidation in April 2023.

Factoring company Kriya Finance confirmed that as at 9 June 2023 the amount owed in respect of the false invoices was £307,334 with interest continuing to accrue.

The Insolvency Service stated that at liquidation Media Matters owed more than £1.3m to creditors, including £328,880 to the factoring company, £685,770 to HMRC, £177,193 to trade and expense creditors, and £98,514 in bank loans.

The latter included £32,500 owed to Barclays for a Bounce Back Loan.

Payne has been disqualified from acting as a director for 11 years, with the ban effective from today (11 February).

Her month of birth is December 1981 and her last known address was in Ramsey St. Marys, near Huntingdon.

Separately, Payne was made bankrupt in August 2024 after a creditor’s petition was lodged by Royal Caribbean Cruises subsidiary RCL Cruises.

Note: Two former directors of Media Matters (Peterborough) who resigned prior to its closure acquired certain assets from the liquidator including the trading name and website. Daka Marketing Limited trades as Media Matters Agency offering B2B marketing services.