Our governance structure ensures independent oversight and ethical decision-making through clear lines of authority and accountability.
Strategic Governance & Oversight
Chairperson & Executive Director
Founder; Chairperson and Executive Director since January 2026
Secretary — Legal & Compliance
Appointed July 2026; legal scholar and criminologist specialising in restorative justice and victims' rights
Financial Officer
Candidate in discussion
The founding board is being completed as a three-member board — Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Secretary seat was filled in July 2026 with the appointment of Nikos Stamatakis; a candidate for the Treasurer role is currently in discussion. A Model Advocate and an Industry & Digital Rights expert are potential future additions as the foundation scales.
Chairperson & Executive Director
Elina Kolibius is the founder of Stichting International Modeling Foundation and the Chairperson of its board. She brings direct experience of the industry the Foundation exists to reform: she worked as a model from age 15 to 20 in multiple international markets before completing a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Her decision to build IMF was crystallised by a drawn-out effort to recover unpaid fees for an extended TV commercial that ultimately cost her 40% in commissions. This made concrete, from the inside, what she and other former models had long observed: there is no independent body in modeling that a party can turn to when things go wrong.
The Foundation is modelled on the observation that other global industries have infrastructure the modeling industry lacks — the FIFA parallel in football being the clearest reference. IMF was established in January 2026 to build that infrastructure: a non-profit, independent governance body serving models, creatives, agencies, and brands rather than any single commercial interest. As Chairperson and Executive Director, Elina leads the Foundation's day-to-day operations, its standards development, and its engagement with industry stakeholders during the founding phase.
Secretary — Legal & Compliance
Nikos Stamatakis is a legal scholar and criminologist whose work centres on restorative justice, victims' rights, and the protection of vulnerable people within institutional systems. He holds a double doctorate in criminology from Ghent University and the University of Liège, a doctorate in sociology from Panteion University in Athens, and law degrees from University College London and University College Cork, with a habilitation from the University of Paris-Saclay.
His career spans national, European, and international bodies, including the European Commission, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Penal Reform International, and government justice ministries across several jurisdictions. He has edited academic volumes on law enforcement and correctional policy and published widely on restorative justice, victimology, and domestic violence. As Secretary for Legal & Compliance, he brings IMF direct expertise in safeguarding, fair enforcement, and the rights of those the foundation exists to protect.
The foundation was established in January 2026, with the founder serving as sole board member — as permitted for the first board under the foundation's Statutes. Board expansion is now underway: the Secretary (Legal & Compliance) seat was filled in July 2026 with the appointment of Nikos Stamatakis; a candidate for the Treasurer (Financial Officer) role is currently in discussion.
Two of three founding seats filled — Treasurer appointment targeted for later 2026
Board expansion will occur in phases as the foundation establishes operations and scales its programs.
Strategic Guidance - Non-Voting
Provides strategic guidance to the Board
The Advisory Council is being formed with industry leaders across three continents. Members will be announced as appointments are confirmed.
Once confirmed, the Advisory Council will comprise five members:
Two agency owners from different markets, two models bringing different perspectives and advocacy experience, and one fully independent member with no ties to the modeling industry — bringing an outside perspective from a field such as safeguarding, human rights, mediation, or social work.
Committee structure will be formalised as the foundation scales. Our Statutes (Article 10) provide for advisory councils, working groups, and committees to be established as needed.
Dutch foundation registered in Amsterdam
Board expansion to three members
ANBI public-benefit status application
Advisory Council formation
Committee structure formalisation
