Hello, I’m Tony Wong, and I've had the honour of leading METRO Charity as CEO since September 2024. I have a background deeply rooted in addressing social issues and promoting equity, so my transition into METRO has been both enlightening and challenging. Today, I want to share our journey over the past six months, the strides we've made, and the hurdles we've encountered. As we approach our 40th anniversary (invites coming soon), I’m excited to share our progress and outline our vision for the future.
Commitment to racial equity
When I took up METRO’s leadership, I was confronted with the imperative issues highlighted by METRO’s Race Audit Report. The report, published in March 2023, outlined significant concerns regarding racial disparities within our organisation. While we have moved forward in our journey to becoming an anti-racist organisation and delivering racial equity for our Black and Global Majority staff, volunteers, and service users, it was also clear that our work is not done, and our commitment to this journey continues.
Through 2024, our leadership teams have undertaken a series of individual and collective race equity coaching sessions. Whilst challenging, the sessions have supported us as a leadership team to confront difficult realities and have ultimately led to greater understanding and empathy within the team.
Next month, we will introduce our People and Culture Strategy, designed to embed equity and inclusivity practices throughout our organisation. Through co-produced action plans, this strategy will also steer our next phase of action in advancing race equity.
As we continue to strengthen and further develop our anti-racist approach to strive for racial equity in our organisation, we recognise that true equity requires sustained action, accountability, and a willingness to challenge systemic barriers at every level of our organisation
Board diversity and expertise
I am thrilled to announce that we have successfully recruited a new cohort of board members, following a comprehensive skills audit. These members bring a wealth of expertise and diverse identities that will greatly enhance our board's capabilities and perspective. As a teaser, one of our new members brings both national and international diversity and inclusion experience, as well as strong governance and strategy expertise, which positions them well to play a strong role within our governance. Watch this space for future updates, as we’ll be looking to announce the full lineup next month.
Navigating financial challenges
Like many charities, the financial climate presents us with stark challenges, leading to some difficult decisions. In response, we've developed an interim fundraising strategy (to serve us while we develop our brand-new organisational strategy) focused on diversifying income streams to sustain and enhance our service delivery. As statutory funding is becoming increasingly difficult to secure, we plan to increase individual giving fundraising and explore innovative opportunities to ensure our financial sustainability.
Celebrating external achievements
- In November, I had the honour of attending a reception at No. 10 Downing Street for World AIDS Day, where Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer committed £27 million to extend the Emergency Department (ED) opt-out testing programme. This is a crucial step towards ending new HIV transmissions by 2030 and is much welcomed as we know that the ED opt-out testing saves lives. I recently attended one of our Positive Journeys sessions, and in a group of ten men, three told me that they had learned their HIV status through ED opt-out testing. One man was very clear that if he hadn’t been diagnosed through this pathway: he would not be with us today. His example highlights the vital role we play in working with our national partners, advocating for funding and policy reforms, and this is why I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to future investment.
- In December, I attended the Greenwich Giving launch event. Greenwich Giving is the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s giving scheme for local voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations. METRO is proud to be incubating Greenwich Giving during its first three years, on its route to independence. The theme for the first giving campaign is social connection. Find out more.
- Also in December, I attended our G-HIVE Voice and Influencing Conference, delivered through METRO GAVS, (Greenwich Action for Voluntary Service), which provides local infrastructure support for the Greenwich-based VCS. It was great to connect with local partners, and hear directly the impact of METRO GAVS in terms of the support we provide.
- In January, I participated in a panel discussion at City Hall, focusing on HIV prevention efforts in London, alongside leading figures in the sector from the Africa Advocacy Foundation, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), Positive East, and Spectra, sharing our knowledge and insights, to help inform City Hall, and the Mayor of London’s approach, to support the goals within the HIV Action plan for ending new HIV transitions by 2030.
- In February, during HIV Testing Week, I joined our frontline HIV Outreach Team on our HIV Testing Bus. It's a vital service, but there can be critical barriers such as taking time off work to attend a sexual health clinic, or having the means to go online to book an appointment. For these reasons, being able to bring the service to the community is absolutely crucial. As part of demonstrating our frontline commitment, I took an HIV test myself to know my status.
Engagement with key stakeholders
- I have begun meeting with partners and funders from key service delivery areas, including Greenwich, Lambeth, and Lewisham. I’ve been attending partnership events such as with Young Greenwich, a network of providers providing services for young people up the age of 25, and the Stronger Communities Partnership Board, where we work with other VCS organisations and Lewisham Council to make sure services are joined up through collaborative working. I will be attending more meetings and events over the coming months, to find out more about the brilliant partnership work we do. If we haven’t met yet, and you would like to, please reach out.
- As part of my role within the National HIV Providers Forum, I have been working, with other HIV voluntary and community sector leaders, to strategically identify gaps and opportunities within current HIV support pathways. The ambition is to develop an HIV care standard, which would ensure equitable access to essential care irrespective of geography, gender, immigration status, sexual orientation or any other factors which can create barriers to accessing care.
- Also, as part of HIV Testing Week, I met with the new Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, during a reception organised by the Labour African Network and Terrence Higgins Trust, where she outlined new governmental commitments to HIV testing. Ashley Dalton said:
“I promise you this evening that I will make sure that health and inequalities will be at the front and centre of our new HIV Action Plan. We are ramping up HIV testing, we will expand PrEP, we will make sure HIV patients get high quality care, and we will smash the stigma”.
It’s great to hear this commitment under this new government and to have these commitments backed up with dedicated funding.
Future plans
As we begin developing a new strategy for METRO, our focus will be on innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability. We know that in the past five years, since COVID-19, the health arena and wider society have changed significantly. How communities access services, and how providers need to respond, have both evolved. Our new strategy will ensure that we carefully consider new service delivery models, technological advancements, and the expectations of our service users, to ensure we continue to deliver the best possible support and care to our service users.
To ensure that our community’s needs shape our future, we are planning stakeholder engagement sessions. Watch this space for future updates on how you can get involved.
I invite each of you to join us on this journey. Your engagement and feedback are crucial as we strive to create a truly inclusive community. Together, we can ensure that METRO not only stands for diversity but fully embodies it in every action we take.
Thank you for being part of METRO's journey of change. Your continued support is vital as we strive to create an inclusive community where every voice is heard. Here's to a future filled with courage, commitment, and unwavering dedication to our shared values.