Oxfam GB’s chief executive has been forced out by the charity’s trustees after an investigation into her leadership found “serious issues”, according to reports.

The independent review was reportedly commissioned over “concerns raised about the leadership, conduct and approach” of Dr Halima Begum, and was prompted by more than 100 current and former staff writing to trustees.

The review highlighted “serious issues in the CEO’s leadership behaviour and her decision-making, including breaches of organisational processes and values and inappropriate interference into safeguarding and integrity investigations”, Oxfam told the Times.

“The report’s findings have led the board to the conclusion that there is an irretrievable breakdown in its trust and confidence in Dr Begum’s ability to discharge the role of chief executive officer to the level required in Oxfam GB, and that her ongoing employment is untenable.”

It was reported the board had unanimously agreed Begum should leave on Friday. “We have great respect for colleagues who have raised concerns about culture. Their perspectives informed the independent review that took place. Oxfam’s commitment to openness and learning will strengthen our organisation and the work we do across the world,” Oxfam added.

The Times reported that staff had urged the board to investigate Begum.

In their letter, they said a restructuring of the organisation led by Begum had created “widespread animosity” and left them feeling “undermined, undervalued and unfairly targeted”.

They claimed it had damaged Oxfam’s “processes, policies and procedures in a severely detrimental and risky way” and created an “intense climate of fear” that had become “deeply rooted in Oxfam, including a very real fear of retribution from senior management”.

The Times reported that Begum was understood to have denied the allegations against her.

According to the BBC, Oxfam said the review had been commissioned by its board and carried out by the legal firm Howlett Brown between November and December 2025. It drew on testimony from 32 current and former Oxfam colleagues, as well as documentary evidence, the charity said.

Oxfam has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years. In 2018, it emerged its staff had sexually exploited victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010.

In 2022, complaints of serious misconduct by a senior Oxfam official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were upheld by an external investigation. The charity also made 250 of its 2,100 UK staff redundant earlier this year to save £10.2m from its wage bill.

Oxfam and Begum have been approached for comment.