Elle joins board of surf-wear brand Hot Tuna

Hot Tuna said MacPherson epitomised the lifestyle of the brand. Picture / Graham Shearer

She is nicknamed "The Body", but Elle Macpherson has already proved there is more to her than her model looks by launching her own highly lucrative line of lingerie.

Now, the original supermodel and 43-year-old mother of two, has broadened her business brief by being appointed an executive director of one of the world's longest established surf-wear brands.

Macpherson joins a growing band of famous names sitting on the boards of companies, including newsreader Anna Ford and musician Bob Geldof.

She has joined the board of Hot Tuna, one of the smallest companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), as an executive director.

Founded in Macpherson's native Australia in 1969, Hot Tuna went on to become one of the most famous surfing brands in the world, with its distinctive red piranha logo.

The business went dormant, but eight years ago was revived by a group of Australian investors, who turned it into an international company with headquarters in London and offices in Los Angeles and Sydney.

After floating on the AIM last September, the company is currently valued at £19.4m ($58.7m). With the help of Macpherson's fashion expertise and international network of contacts, Hot Tuna hopes to regain its crown as a leading youth fashion brand.

Sales of Elle Macpherson Intimates, the lingerie and swimwear brand launched in 1990, are estimated at £40m in Britain alone. The supermodel also recently launched her own skincare range, The Body.

Under her deal with Hot Tuna, Macpherson will received two million shares, worth £800,000 plus a further two million in share options worth between £1m and £1.5m.

It is Macpherson's first company directorship. Fittingly, 17 years ago, she was the face of Hot Tuna's women's swimwear line.

Chairman Ranjit Murugason, said: "Elle Macpherson is inspired by Hot Tuna, because she grew up in Australia at a time when it was the brand to buy.

"She's the most financially astute supermodel of our times. She has turned her image into one of the most successful brand management stories.

"She has a terrific eye for style and trends. We're a small company, so we all sit round a table in her kitchen or living room and hammer it out together."

But Mr Murugason insisted that he did not hire Macpherson for her celebrity status. "I asked Elle Macpherson to come onto the board of this company not because she's a celebrity, but because she's very astute in business and brands. She epitomises the lifestyle of Hot Tuna."

Throughout her modelling career, Macpherson, who studied law before working in fashion, has produced her own calendars as well as licensing and marketing products.

- INDEPENDENT