METRO’s CEO Dr Greg Ussher writes:
“Today on International Women’s Day we acknowledge and celebrate that women belong in all places where decisions are being made.
As a charity, we have always had women at the very centre of our decision-making. Black and brown women, disabled women, women of faith, trans women, lesbian and bisexual women, working class women, women from a range of ethnic backgrounds – diverse women are employed or volunteer across METRO and today I am speaking out loud and celebrating the wonderful achievements of all women, now and in the past, at METRO!
For 20 of our 26 years since being incorporated as a charity in 1994 we had women CEOs – Sakthi Suriyaprakasam and Marguerite McLaughlin.
For the 16 years I have been at the charity we have mostly had women as Chairs of our Board of Trustees. Today, we have our Chair Gwen Bryan, our Deputy Chair Dawn Brown, with Trustees Alison White and Barbara Gray also sitting on our board, ensuring that 50% of all of our Trustees are women. If we also take into account our METRO GAD, METRO GAVS and METRO VAL management committees, then just over 50% of all of our governors are women.
This is also reflected across METRO’s wider management team. 50% of our Directors are women, with 80% of our Heads of department and nearly 80% of our managers are women.
Our most senior woman in an operational role is our Director of Strategy, Naomi Goldberg. Since moving over from GAVS, Naomi has helped transform our charity. Naomi leads by example, with real courage and vision, and there are many members of staff who have at some point or another been mentored, supported or encouraged by Naomi.
The METRO model shows that, collectively, we can create an inclusive world. Today’s theme is Choose to Challenge, so today – and everyday – let us all be part of choosing to challenge inequality wherever we see it.”