The governance crisis at Oxfam GB has intensified after former CEO Halima Begum set out her most detailed account to date of the events leading to her dismissal, accusing the charity of “brutally” dismissing and stigmatizing her and the charity’s former board chair of making her feel “humiliatingly infantilized.” The charity hit back, saying the independent review into complaints against her had found “substantive and very serious concerns” relating to Begum’s conduct, decision-making, and leadership style.
In an explosive three-page statement shared with Devex, Begum — who resigned from the charity in December amid allegations that she was bullying staff — described the staff complaints against her as “false, prejudiced and malicious comments” and said that she felt “forced” to resign from the charity in December 2025.
Begum told Devex that she filed a claim for constructive dismissal and victimization with an employment tribunal on Feb. 3, 2026. The claim is understood to be against Oxfam and several current and former trustees, including former chair Charles Gurassa, acting cochairs Annie Hudson and Nana Afadzinu, and trustees Tunde Olanrewaju, Les Campbell, Andrew Hind, and Kerri O’Neill. Oxfam said that it had not yet received Begum’s claim.