FROM A working-class background in London's East End to leading one of Britain's most influential charities, Dr Halima Begum's journey embodies the transformation she seeks to bring to the international aid sector.
As the chief executive of Oxfam GB, she is reshaping the very foundations of the international aid sector, driven by a belief that “it’s about solidarity, not charity,” taking aim at what she calls the "old, broken charity model" with its "resonances of the Victorian sense of duty."
Her vision for decolonising aid is radical yet practical: within five years, she revealed in January this year, Oxfam will increase funding to the global south from 60 per cent to 70 per cent, with more decisions made by local communities rather than distant offices.
"Where the status quo prevails, you're essentially left with that old trope of European, Asian or African elites in the big INGOs mapping the future of relatively poor black and brown people living in developing countries," she recently told the Guardian.
This commitment to shifting power dynamics isn't just professional – it's personal. As one of very few female, working-class, disabled ethnic minority leaders of a global organisation, Begum brings lived experience to her role.
Her leadership has been particularly visible during recent crises. She has been on the ground in Gaza and South Sudan last year, bearing witness to humanitarian crises and amplifying calls for justice. Under her leadership, Oxfam has taken legal action against the UK government’s arms sales to Israel, arguing that the sales risk complicity in war crimes.
Begum's impressive career trajectory includes roles at a range of organisations including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, British Council, where she shaped education strategies across East Asia, and LEGO Foundation, and leadership positions at ActionAid, and the Runnymede Trust.
As the chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, a leading UK race equality and civil rights organisation, between 2020 and 2023, she helped raise awareness on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority communities in the UK.
Her academic credentials – including degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a PhD from Queen Mary College – are matched by her practical experience in international development, having worked in countries including China, Nepal, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Yet perhaps her most significant influence lies in her vision for systemic change. She advocates for a new model where aid decisions are made by those closest to the issues – whether through Sudan's mutual aid system, neighbourhood-based relief systems, or women's rights groups determining their own priorities.
"We decolonise but we use our voice and power to hold our governments to account," she has said, challenging the very structures that have defined global charity for decades.
