Naomi Campbell banned from being charity trustee over abuse.
The model and actress Naomi Elaine Campbell, 54, has been banned from being a charity trustee for five years, after a watchdog investigation found evidence of financial misconduct at a charity she founded – Fashion For Relief. The funds raised for the charity were spent on lavish hotels, including £7000 spent for three nights in a five-star hotel and spa treatments.
Naomi Campbell
Fashion For Relief
Naomi Campbell launched Fashion for Relief, in 2005, hosting its first charity fashion show to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Since then the charity has presented fashion initiatives and projects in New York, Cannes, London Moscow, Mumbai and Dar es Salaam, raising over $15 million for various charitable causes worldwide. Fashion for Relief was established to alleviate poverty and promote health and education by providing grants to charitable organizations and directly supplying resources to those in need. Naomi Campbell applied for non-profit status in the United Kingdom in 2015.
Fashion for Relief
Financial Misconduct & Disqualification of Charity Trustees
A Charity Commission enquiry found that Fashion for Relief was not distributing the funds raised to the extent that was initially intended. The money was instead used to stay at lavish hotels, including spa treatments, cigarettes and personal security for Naomi Campbell. The Charity Commission for England and Wales disqualified three individuals from trusteeship:
- Naomi Campbell for five years
- Bianka Hellmich for nine years
- Veronica Chou for four years
The Commission had recovered over £344,000 and protected a further £98,000 of charitable funds. The funds were allocated to contribute to two additional charities and to clear the charity’s existing debts.
Unauthorised Payments
The investigation revealed that from April 2016 to July 2022 only 8.5% the charity’s total spending was allocated to charitable grants. The inquiry saw no evidence that trustees had reviewed the charity’s operating model to ensure fundraising methods were in the charity’s best interest and costs were reasonable relative to income generated. Furthermore, it was found that some of the charity’s fundraising costs were unreasonable.
The charity had held fundraising events for the Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London. The inquiry found that the trustees of Fashion for Relief failed to manage these partnership arrangements. Interim managers appointed by the Commission made payments to these two charities before the charity was wound-up.
A total of £290,000 in unauthorized payments for consultancy services had been made to a trustee Bianka Hellmich, which breached the charity’s constitutional guidelines. Even though Ms. Hellmich proposed repaying these funds, the interim managers appointed by the Commission, successfully obtained repayments for the charity. The investigation revealed that the charity’s funds were managed by external professional advisors, including solicitors and accountants, instead of being deposited in a dedicated bank account under the charity’s name. Following the Commission’s investigation of the transactions, £54,000 was successfully recovered to the charity from one of the advisory firms. At the time, these transactions went unrecognized and unchallenged by the trustees.
Naomi Campbell said to AP news agency: “I’ve just found out today about the findings, and I am extremely concerned” and added she was not the person “in control” of the charity.
In a statement, Tim Hopkins, who was a part of investigations team, said: “Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities. Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them. This inquiry, and the work of the interim managers we appointed to run the charity in place of the trustees, has resulted in the recovery of £344,000 and protection of a further £98,000 charitable funds. I am pleased that the inquiry has seen donations made to other charities which this charity has previously supported.”
Fashion for Relief was removed from the register of charities on 15 March 2024.