Camila Batmanghelidjh
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2012) |
| Camila Batmanghelidjh CBE | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Camila Batmanghelidjh receiving her honorary doctorate from the Open University in April 2008 |
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| Born | 1963 Tehran, Iran |
| Known for | Businesswoman, author and philanthropist |
Camila Batmanghelidjh CBE (/kəˈmɪlə bætmænˈɡɛlɨdʒ/; born 1963, Tehran, Iran) is a British businesswoman, charity leader and author of Iranian and Belgian origin. She has been living in England since the age of 11[1] and has founded two charities: the place2b[2] and Kids Company, where she and her team care for 17,000 vulnerable children and young people in London. The charity operates from three street-level centres in Southwark, Lambeth and Camden, as well as working in 41 inner-city schools. She lives in West Hampstead.[3]
Background[edit]
Batmanghelidjh was born in Tehran into a wealthy professional family. Her mother was a Roman Catholic from Belgium, while her Muslim, Persian father was the controversial doctor Fereydoon Batmanghelidj.[4][5] Her family were supporters of the Shah and so hugely impacted by the 1979 revolution. She moved to England when she was 11 years old. She attended the fee-paying Sherborne Girls school in Dorset, where she claims "everybody thought I was completely odd. Y'know they just thought I was a total oddball".[6]
Severely dyslexic,[7] she has to dictate everything and cannot text or use a computer.[8] After leaving Sherborne she went on to gain a first in Theatre and Dramatic Arts from the University of Warwick.[9]
Later she went to work as a nanny in prosperous households in west London, where she discovered a knack for dealing with emotionally damaged children.[10]
She has been described as "Britain's most colourful charity leader",[11] and is well known for her eccentric and flamboyant dress sense:
- "it takes me probably 5 minutes to get dressed. I don't think about it at all... But the way I dress matches my psychological energy, so when I get up in the morning I think 'What colour do I want to wear today?' and I just bung it on really quickly and get out. I don't worry about what people think at all... And it's instantaneous - I instantly know what fabrics go together and what doesn't - and it's just instinctive."[12]
In 2009 the Women in Public Life Awards named her Businesswoman of the Year.[13]
In February 2013 she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.[14] In February 2013 She was awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for her work on behalf of underprivileged children in Britain.
The latest interview with Camila Batmanghelidjh can be found at www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/22/camila-batmanghelidjh-interview.
References[edit]
- ^ "How to Make a Difference". Howtomakeadifference.net. 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
- ^ "Making a lifetime of difference to children in schools". Place2Be. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ As she stated on BBC Questiontime, 11 August 2011
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Interview with Camila Batmanghelidjh". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Interview by Deborah Orr (2009-01-03). "Colourful character: Camila Batmanghelidjh on her unique approach to charity work - Profiles - People". The Independent. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ "Foreign & Commonwealth Office". Ukinalbania.fco.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ Flintoff, John-Paul. "Lost Innocents". ft.com.
- ^ Orr, Deborah (3 January 2009). "Colourful character: Camila Batmanghelidjh on her unique approach to charity work". The Independent. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ [4][dead link]
- ^ "Past winners 2009". Womeninpubliclifeawards.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
- ^ BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour Power list
