Who we are

Hannah Ward

she/her
Deputy Chair

I’m delighted to be joining METRO Charity as its prospective Deputy Chair. I have many years of charity leadership experience, both in paid roles and as a Trustee. In addition, I have over 20 years’ experience in advocacy and communications on a range of human rights, refugee rights, health and social justice issues, both nationally and internationally.  

My most recent role was Director of Policy, Advocacy and Communications at International Alert, a peacebuilding organisation working in conflict settings across the globe, where I led work to ensure Alert’s peacebuilding expertise contributed to policy and practice change towards a more peaceful world. 

Prior to this I led policy, campaigns and communications at National AIDS Trust, working to keep HIV high on the UK government’s health policy agenda and ensure ongoing commitment to the goal of ending new HIV transmissions in the UK by 2030.  

I have also held Trustee positions at Separated Child Foundation and Hackney Migrant Centre, affording me lots of good governance experience, and I’m currently volunteering with the Markfield project, a local community project in Tottenham working with children and young adults with special educational needs and disabilities. 

I am passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, the rights of people living with HIV, and the health and wellbeing of people from minoritised and disadvantaged communities. It is this, along with my work at National AIDS Trust, that drew me to METRO Charity. 

I am looking forward to supporting METRO Charity through the upcoming strategy development period and working to ensure the organisation remains sustainable and able to deliver its vital services for the years to come. 

As someone who has always been an activist, I’m troubled by the current political climate and see my upcoming work with METRO as an opportunity to continue to stand up for the rights of all those from marginalised communities, particularly trans people.

There has never been a more important time to support METRO Charity’s work and I encourage everyone to get involved and support in whatever way they can!