AMSTERDAM (AP) — Greenpeace has suffered a 3.8 million-euro ($5.2 million) loss on an ill-timed bet in
the currency market by a well-intentioned — if reckless — employee in its financial unit.
The environmental group, which is based in Amsterdam, said Monday the employee — who had bet the euro
would not strengthen against other currencies in 2013, when it did — had acted beyond the limits of his
authority.
Greenpeace International fired the employee, whom it did not identify, but said there was no evidence of
fraud.
“Every indication is, this was done with the best of intentions but not the best of judgment,” said
spokesman Mike Townsley in a telephone interview from Mexico.
He said the organization was deeply concerned that the incident would offend its supporters, and
apologized. Greenpeace does not accept contributions from companies or governments and is funded
entirely by individuals.
Responsibility lies partly with the employee and partly with the organization, Townsley said.
The employee was a financial expert whose job included currency trades to protect the organization from
fluctuations in the market. He was not qualified, however, to undertake trades on the scale he did. In
addition, he ignored company rules, under which he should have checked with supervisors and probably
hired an external expert for advice on how to manage risks.
“Hindsight is 20/20, but we believe if he had followed rules and procedures this wouldn’t have happened,”
Townsley said.
Townsley said the employee was fired for ignoring rules, not for the loss itself, which — although
sizeable compared with donor contributions — amounts to a fraction of the organization’s annual revenues
of around 300 million euros.
He said Greenpeace is taking steps to strengthen financial controls to prevent other such incidents.
The group said it would absorb the loss by cutting planned investments in “infrastructure” and pledged
not to reduce spending on campaigns.