A major leadership shakeup at Oxfam GB has prompted the board to remove its chief executive after an independent review flagged significant concerns about her behavior and decision-making. The board described Dr Halima Begum’s position as untenable due to an irreparable erosion of trust and confidence in her ability to lead.
Around 70 staff members reportedly signed a petition urging the charity to investigate Dr Begum’s conduct, and several employees are said to have resigned after conflicts with her, according to The Times.
Dr Begum served in the role for nearly two years. The BBC has reached out to her for comment.
Oxfam stated that the board commissioned the review to address “concerns raised about the leadership, conduct and approach” of Dr Begum. The assessment was conducted by the legal firm Howlett Brown between November and December 2025 and incorporated testimony from 32 current and former Oxfam colleagues, in addition to documentary evidence.
The findings identified “serious issues in the CEO’s leadership behavior and decision-making, including breaches of organizational processes and values, and inappropriate interference into safeguarding and integrity investigations.” As a result, the board decided to dismiss Dr Begum last week, and she has now left the organization.
Jan Oldfield, who has served as Oxfam’s chief supporter officer for more than four years, will take on the role of acting chief executive.
Acting co-chairs Nana Afadzinu and Dame Annie Hudson emphasized that stabilizing staff and restoring trust across the organization would be their top priorities in the interim. They also noted that the board has moved quickly to strengthen oversight and reinforce internal processes, with work already underway to implement the review’s recommendations.
This leadership upheaval comes amid a challenging year for Oxfam. Earlier, the charity disclosed that profits from its shops had fallen by about two-thirds over the preceding three years. In addition, Oxfam UK announced redundancies amounting to 250 roles out of 2,100 staff to achieve wage-cost savings of £10.2 million.
Dr Begum previously attributed the wage bill and output challenges to a context of widespread economic uncertainty, inflation, and the cost-of-living crisis, asserting that these external pressures contributed to the organization’s performance.”
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