British supermodel Naomi Campbell has been banned from serving as a charity trustee for five years following an investigation by the Charity Commission into serious mismanagement of funds at her charity, Fashion For Relief.
Founded in 2005 with the goal of alleviating poverty and supporting global causes, the charity came under scrutiny for failing to direct sufficient funds towards charitable causes.
The investigation revealed that only 8.5% of the charity’s overall expenditure between April 2016 and July 2022 went to charitable grants, with the remaining funds spent on non-charitable activities, including Campbell’s personal expenses such as a stay at a five-star hotel, spa treatments, and cigarettes.
The inquiry found that the charity’s trustees, including Campbell, failed to act in the best interests of the charity or ensure that its fundraising efforts were cost-effective.
Among the most significant expenses was a €14,800 (£12,300) flight from London to Nice in 2018 for transferring art and jewellery to a Cannes fundraising event, and a €9,400 (£7,800) three-night stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes for Campbell. Additionally, Campbell’s personal expenses at the hotel, amounting to nearly €7,940 (£6,600) for room service, spa treatments, and cigarettes, were paid for with charity funds.
The Charity Commission, which oversees and regulates charities in England and Wales, opened its inquiry into Fashion For Relief in 2021. As a result of its findings, Campbell, along with two other trustees, Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou, have been disqualified.
Campbell has received a five-year ban, Hellmich a nine-year ban, and Chou a four-year ban from serving as trustees or holding senior roles in any charity in England and Wales.
Despite claims from trustees that some of the costs, such as hotel stays, were covered by donors and not the charity, they were unable to provide evidence to support these assertions.
The Charity Commission has since recovered £344,000 of the charity’s funds and secured an additional £98,000 to protect the charity’s finances.
Naomi Campbell, 54, a prominent figure in the fashion world, became the first British black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue.
She recently welcomed her second child, a son, following the birth of her daughter in 2021.