Oxfam announced an independent review of its board processes on Friday following an investigation by The Observer into the departure of its chief executive.
The Observer last week revealed the scale of the crisis at one of the country’s biggest charities after a breakdown in relations between Halima Begum and the charity’s chair, boardroom veteran Charles Gurassa, who stood down in November.
Before the decision to sack Begum was made, trustees at Oxfam who ousted her discussed the possibility that they could face a substantial legal claim, according to leaked documents.
The board agreed to dismiss Begum in December after an independent review found serious issues involving her leadership. It was warned “the court of public opinion may be in Halima’s favour”.
The Charity Commission is also examining claims of alleged governance failures. The charity has not published records of its board meetings since April 2022, but confidential minutes leaked to The Observer of a board meeting on 24 October reveal concerns among trustees that the working relationship between Gurassa and Begum was breaking down.
They also raised concerns about Begum’s performance, including claims she was shutting some people out of decision-making. Sources close to Begum reject the allegations.
It was agreed a trustee would contact her informally to explore a potential “without prejudice” conversation about her future. One source said the trustee discussed the prospect of a six-figure exit package described as incompatible with any grievance claims, which Begum rejected.
Five days later Begum filed a grievance claim against Gurassa. She described her one-to-one meetings with him as “flagrant gaslighting” or “psychological manipulation”. Gurassa told the board the grievance allegations were untrue, containing “mischaracterisations and innuendo”.
Related articles:
Oxfam has said it had confidence in the integrity of the processes involved in Begum’s departure. It added there was no legal requirement to publish board minutes and ended the practice in 2022 due to limited resources.
Begum declined to comment. Gurassa did not respond to a request for comment.
Newsletters
Choose the newsletters you want to receive
View more
For information about how The Observer protects your data, read our Privacy Policy
Photograph by Andy Aitchison