Disgruntled staff allege bullying and nepotism at high-profile charity

The high-earning head of the children’s charity created by JK Rowling is leaving amid concerns about its management.

Lumos’s chief executive Georgette Mulheir, who is paid £160,000 a year, agreed to step down after reports made by disgruntled staff members.

The charity helps children across the world and is part funded by the Harry Potter author.

Former staff raised concerns about a culture of borderline bullying and nepotism at the organisation which runs a staff of 90.

They allege Rowling has no insight about the problems at Lumos where, it is alleged, three staff members have left because of bullying.

Allegations of problems experienced by staff have been highlighted on Glassdoor, an employee ratings website. The charity was rated 2.2 out of 5.

Neil Blair, chairman of the charity’s trustees and Rowling’s agent, said: “The board believes the time is right for new leadership.”

Latest accounts for Lumos showed that it received £2.66 million from royalties from Rowling’s books Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages in 2017. The charity, which had a total income of £8.5 million, also received £4.32 million from Comic Relief.