Irrespective of that, it's still a terrible idea to be dating in that pool. If we're talking about a 50'000 people company, than maybe it's ok so long as there'

Irrespective of that, it's still a terrible idea to be dating in that pool. If we're talking about a 50'000 people company, than maybe it's ok so long as there's no direct business relationship, but if you're the MD of a small company you should simply not entertain dating people within that company. Just the potential for a sexual harassment lawsuit by itself should be enough to stop anything in its tracks - let alone the moral and ethical implications.