Camila Batmanghelidjh

Camila Batmanghelidjh
CBE
Batmanghelidjh in 2011
Born1963[1]
Tehran, Iran
Died(2024-01-01)1 January 2024 (aged 61)
London, England
EducationBA, Theatre Studies and Dramatic Arts
MA, Philosophy of Counselling and Psychotherapy
Alma materUniversity of Warwick
Antioch University
ParentFereydoon Batmanghelidj (father)
Camila Batmanghelidjh's voice
Recorded January 2013 from the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs

Camila Batmanghelidjh CBE (/kəˈmɪlə bætmænˈɡɛlɪdʒ/; Persian: کامیلا باتمانقلیچ; 1963[a][1][2] – 1 January 2024) was an Iranian-Belgian author, psychotherapist, and charity executive based in the United Kingdom.[3][4][5] She was the founder of the charity Kids Company (closed in 2015) and Place2Be, charities that worked with marginalised children and young people at risk, in inner London, Bristol and Liverpool.[6][7]

Between 1996 and 2015, Batmanghelidjh became a high-profile personality, fêted by celebrities and politicians for her work with Kids Company.[8] In 2007, The Guardian described her as "one of the most powerful advocates for vulnerable children in the country".[9] She was dubbed the "Angel of Peckham".[10]

In 2015, amid allegations of mismanagement and the squandering of funds, Batmanghelidjh stepped down as the charity's chief executive, and Kids Company was closed.[11][12] The official receiver's allegations that Batmanghelidjh and seven Kids Company trustees were unfit to hold directorships were dismissed in February 2021 in a high court judgement delivered by Mrs Justice Falk.

On 20 August 2015, the Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into Keeping Kids Company. However, this was placed on hold pending the outcome of the High Court judgement. The High Court rejected claims of mismanagement and exonerated the charity's directors and trustees.[13] The Charity Commissioners' report was finally published in February 2022.[14] The Commission made a finding of "mismanagement in the administration of the charity" over its repeated failure to pay creditors, including its workers and HMRC, on time.[15]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bbc death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of Kids Company, which helped thousands of young people but collapsed amid acrimony – obituary". The Telegraph. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ^ Rudgard, Olivia (7 August 2015). "Who is Camila Batmanghelidjh? The Kids Company founder in 60 seconds". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Camila Batmanghelidjh". Brunel University London. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Wayback Machine. Camila has published widely, is the author of Shattered Lives: Children Living with Courage and Dignity, published in 2006
  5. ^ Sale, Jonathan (14 December 2006). "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Camila Batmanghelidjh, the founder of Kids Company". The Independent. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  6. ^ Harris, Paul (17 December 2000). "Where lost kids find they have a future". The Observer. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  7. ^ Beresford, Peter (29 October 2015). "Kids Company pressed every funding button – but lost sight of kids it was set up to serve". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  8. ^ "We Love Documentary Camilas's Kids Company: The Inside Story (BBC1, 9 pm)". Coventry Evening Telegraph. Coventry Newspapers. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2023 – via TheFreeLibrary.
  9. ^ "Immovable force". The Guardian. 10 October 2007. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  10. ^ Hawkes, Steve (17 October 2006). "Angel of Peckham's gift of giving". BBC News. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  11. ^ Grierson, Jamie (21 August 2015). "Kids Company faces investigation over financial collapse". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  12. ^ Butler, Patrick (29 October 2015). "Labour and Conservative ministers ignored repeated warnings over Kids Company". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  13. ^ Butler, Patrick (12 February 2021). "Mismanagement claims against Kids Company founder thrown out". The Guardian.
  14. ^ "Charity Inquiry: Keeping Kids Company". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Official report criticises former trustees of Kids Company". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 September 2022.


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