Investigations ongoing over accusation of bullying against Leeds United charity foundation CEO John Mallalieu

The Leeds United Foundation has confirmed that an independent investigation is being conducted into the charity and its "prevailing culture” after complaints were made against CEO John Mallalieu.

The BBC has reported that former employees told them that they left due to Mr Mallalieu, who they said created a “toxic” environment and belittled and intimidated staff.

One member of staff said that Mr Mallalieu referred to colleagues as “useless” or “idiots” and that on one occasion he told a female employee that she looked “like a stripper”.

The foundation has said that it takes any grievance from current or former employee “with the utmost seriousness and ensures that the relevant procedures and protocols are followed”.

It said that one grievance report made in March 2023 was “partially upheld” by an independent trustee and a remedial plan was agreed with Mr Mallalieu. The foundation said it believed this was “proportionate to the grievance and would deliver the necessary performance improvements”.

It said that it had also investigated two complaints by a former employee and former contractor in September 2021.

A spokesperson said: “Conscious that questions have continued to be asked in respect of these matters and to reinforce our commitment to ensuring we have a working culture that aligns with our values, in mid-May, we instructed an independent employment Barrister of 9 St John Street chambers to conduct a thorough and impartial review of our response to these matters and the prevailing culture within the Foundation.

"This process includes an anonymous survey and a comprehensive number of interviews with staff members from across the organisation and will be completed by the end of June.”

They added that the foundation now serves over 43,000 participants across Leeds and Yorkshire and has “extended our reach to activate programmes in every primary school in Leeds”.

The spokesperson said: “Whilst every organisation has its cultural challenges, we believe that the vast majority of our staff are proud to work for the Foundation and enjoy positively contributing to the wider Leeds community, however, the Foundation remains committed to working hard to quickly address any learnings and recommendations from the report.”