British supermodel Naomi Campbell has been disqualified from being a charity trustee for five years after the UK Charity Commission found serious mismanagement of funds at Fashion for Relief, which she founded.
This included using charity funds to pay for Campbell’s stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, which the regulator deemed to be unreasonable.
The model is one of three of the charity’s trustees to be disqualified as a result of the probe.
Fashion for Relief was founded by Campbell in 2005 with the aim of uniting the fashion industry to relieve poverty and advance health and education, by making grants to other organisations and giving resources towards global disasters.
The charity was dissolved and removed from the register of charities earlier this year.
Our inquiry into Fashion for Relief has concluded the charity was poorly governed and had inadequate financial management.
We've disqualified 3 individuals from trusteeship, recovered over £344,000 and protected a further £98,000 of charitable funds: https://t.co/xjlSvHMlRk pic.twitter.com/SgLtJpo7FG— Charity Commission (@ChtyCommission) September 26, 2024
Some £344,000 (€412,000) has been recovered and a further £98,000 of charitable funds protected, the regulator said.
The UK Charity Commission’s inquiry found that between April 2016 and July 2022, 8.5 per cent of the charity’s overall expenditure was on charitable grants.
It also said it found some fundraising expenditure to be misconduct or mismanagement by the charity’s trustees.
This included a €14,800 flight from London to Nice in 2018 for transferring art and jewellery.
It also looked into the decision to spend €9,400 of charity funds on a three-night stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, for Campbell.
In these cases, the trustees “failed to show how these were cost-effective and an appropriate use of the charity’s resources”, the Charity Commission said.
Bianka Hellmich has been disqualified as a trustee for nine years, and Veronica Chou for four years, as well as Campbell’s five-year ban.
