The chief executive of wildlife charity World Animal Protection, Mike Baker, has stepped down at short notice after six years in the role.
Baker, who oversaw the rebrand of the charity from the World Society for the Protection of Animals, will not receive a payoff, a spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for the charity told Civil Society News: “After six years as chief executive at World Animal Protection, Mike Baker has taken the decision to stand down. We are grateful for his hard work in this role and his commitment to animal protection.”
The spokeswoman confirmed that Baker resigned last week and will formally leave the charity tomorrow.
"This was a personal decision made by Mike and we are sure it was not an easy one," she said. "We would like to thank him for his hard work and achievements during his tenure."
Baker hit the headlines in June when the Sun newspaper included him in a list of six charities criticised over chief executive pay.
At the time, a spokesman for the charity said its chief executive was “accountable for a £43m budget annually” and the charity needed to offer a competitive salary to attract the best candidates.
“We ensure that every pound we spend is carefully considered and accounted for," he said. “The salary review for the chief executive is benchmarked against salaries of chief executives in comparable global charities of a similar size and income. Remuneration is then decided by our Board’s HR & Remuneration Committee.”
According to the charity’s latest set of account, the salary of its highest earner – likely to be Baker’s – was between £130,000 and £139,999. The figure criticised by the Sun is some £32,000 lower than the average salary of a top-100 charity chief executive, according to research by Charity Finance magazine.
In 2014, the charity’s total income was £34.5m, according to its latest set of accounts – but the charity spent £500,000 more than it earned. In 2013 it made losses of £1.1m the £3.3m the previous year. But in 2011 it earned £5.3m more than it spent.
WAP’s current director of programmes, Steve McIvor, will step into the role until a replacement is found.
McIvor previously worked as chief executive of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, and sat on the executive board at The Body Shop International.
