Oxfam GB has announced that it will commission a review of its board processes following the controversial departure of its chief executive.
Halima Begum, who was appointed Oxfam CEO in 2023, left the charity in December last year after a previous review into concerns about her leadership.
The charity today announced a new review by a senior external lawyer to assess whether the board and trustees acted in line with their duties following Begum’s departure “and if relevant, prior to that”.
The Times reported in December that Begum was forced to stand down by Oxfam’s board after it found “serious issues” with her decision-making and behaviour.
Oxfam made more than 140 staff redundant last year in a bid to tackle a second consecutive operating deficit of over £20m, prompting protests led by trade union Unite involving the charity’s “very demoralised” workforce.
Soon after Begum’s dismissal, however, Oxfam trustee Balwant Singh said she had been subject to “a carefully orchestrated and intentionally brutal retaliation and retribution in the national media”.
Despite some 70 staff members signing an open letter petitioning Oxfam to investigate Begum’s conduct, her lawyer told the Times that she would be taking legal action against the charity for “defamatory and unfounded criticism”.
Prior to Begum’s departure, she had lodged a grievance complaint related to “sexism, racism and bullying” against former chair Charles Gurassa, who left Oxfam weeks before her.
Scope of review
Oxfam said its new review will be overseen by board members who are part of the charity’s governance committee.
But fact-finding will be made independently by the external lawyer, it added.
The charity said it was “committed to learning lessons from this process” and that the review would help to establish “an accurate picture of events”.
However, it said the new review would not revisit the charity’s decision that trust and confidence in Begum had been lost prior to her departure.
It said the charity will share a summary of the review’s findings with relevant stakeholders in due course.
Oxfam added that the Charity Commission had been regularly updated on developments.
Timeline of events
After a review by workplace problem-solving company Howlett Brown in December, the Oxfam said its board made the unanimous decision that trust and confidence in Begum had been lost.
Oxfam told Civil Society that the board had received complaints about Begum’s leadership since January 2025 and held a meeting to discuss these on 24 October.
It said trustees had a duty to confront such issues and so instigated the original external review.
“A fair and confidential process took place in line with employment law and Charity Commission guidance,” a spokesperson said.
“We have great respect for colleagues who have raised concerns about culture.”
After the Times story broke, Singh broke ranks with the charity and said Begum was victim to a plot to undermine her leadership.
He claimed the findings of the investigation into Begum’s conduct had not been shared with her before the Times was notified of her exit, and that she was not given right of reply.
Singh also said Begum had filed a grievance complaint against Gurassa before she became aware of concerns around her leadership.
In response, Oxfam confirmed Begum had launched a “whistleblower complaint” against Gurassa on 29 October.
The charity added: “Mr Gurassa recused himself from all matters relating to both the CEO review and the grievance against him on 30 October 2025 […] prior to the decision to hold an independent review.
“He stepped down as chair on 27 November 2025.”
