What's the difference between a director and a PSC?

Short answer

• Directors are appointed to run the company day-to-day. They make management decisions and sign contracts.
• PSCs are people (or entities) who ultimately control the company — by virtue of ownership, voting, or influence — whether or not they're directors.

A solo founder is usually both: the sole director AND the 100% PSC. But the roles diverge as soon as you start raising money or hiring outside directors.

Examples

Scenario	Director?	PSC?
Founder owns 100% and runs the company	Yes	Yes (75%+)
VC partner sits on the board representing a 30% holder	Yes	The VC fund is the PSC (25-50%), not the partner
Family trust owns 40%, trustees are individuals	No	The trust may be the PSC, or the trustees, depending on terms
Non-executive director with no shares	Yes	No
Silent shareholder with 51% but no board seat	No	Yes (50-75% + voting)

Where to record them

• Directors go in Company → Directors (s162 register)
• PSCs go in Company → PSC Register (s790 register)
• The same person may have entries in both registers — that's the common case for founders.