Erim Metto

#chief executive
#charity
#filmmaker
#project development
#philanthropic

About me

For over 30 years, Erim has been a pivotal leader for the Turkish Speaking communities living in the United Kingdom; driving positive change, creating inspirational projects, and empowering some of the most vulnerable within our society.

Erim is a third sector Chief Executive Officer, a film maker, a project manager, and a community leader who has dedicated all his life and career to promoting the forgotten. Whether helping homeless Syrians on the Streets of Istanbul, promoting the health of vulnerable individuals, creating safe havens for “at risk BAME women”, leading the communities response to emergencies such as that of the Covid 19 pandemic, through to creating films which showcase communities without a voice.

Erim is an ardent advocate of the third sector and the support it provides to those without a voice.

Filmmaking

Erim is a passionate filmmaker, he is committed to capturing untold stories, so the people of tomorrow can learn. As well as directing feature films, he has played a major role in supporting talent moving into the filmmaking world.

He has created platforms for film makers to showcase their work, especially those from the Turkish Cypriot community. He is the founder and chair of the Turkish Cypriot Filmmakers’ Platform, a guest Director at RAaW (working with young people who live socially deprived areas) from and is a collaborative working partner with Euro Genc TV.

Creating inspirational projects

At the heart of being able to support the third sector is the ability to develop and manage NGO projects. Erim’s repertoire of initiating third sector projects incorporates the formation of over 300 projects from the development of a mobile eye clinic in Morbi (Gujarat, India) through to a Sheltered Elderly Housing project in Lefke (Northern Cyprus).

These initiatives have been within both the public and charity sectors, which enables people to come together and help those on the margins of society. Helping combine years of experience, passion, and expertise to find new ways delivering lasting and positive social change.

— CHIEF EXECUTIVE —

Today Erim holds the role of Chief Executive Officer of Turkish Cypriot Community Association (TCCA), officially the largest Turkish Speaking Charity in the UK, one that operates from four premises, with 75 staff, 220 volunteers, and initiatives that include: leading the Turkish Cypriot Arts and Cultural Festival, the Turkish Cypriot Community Awards, the Turkish Cypriot Emergency Response Team, and heading the Turkish Cypriot Community Trust. TCCA continues to grow and plans are abreast to have an international footprint with the organisation planning to work with eight overseas states.

Erim has held the post since 2012, previously he held similar roles at Swiss Cottage Community Association, Kentish Town Community Initiative, and headed the Millennium Commissions delivery of Millennium Awards in the areas of Haringey and Enfield, managing an annual budget of over £2million gdp.

— CHARITY —

Taking the lead of his first charity at the age 19, Erim has throughout his life been driven by the desire to ensure that structures that advocate for disadvantaged people around the world including those with undiagnosed life-threatening diseases who desperately need access to healthcare and isolated refugee communities living on the streets of London.

Erim currently participates within the management structures of 12 charities, most from their inception.

— PHILANTHROPIC —

In both his work and spare time, Erim has always been passionate about supporting local communities. From his work with local schools to serving as a magistrate, he is a trail blazer and that continues to break new ground.

In 1994, he founded ETCA a charity supporting Turkish Speakers in London, with inspirational projects that span the globe, one of these projects touched the lives of elders living in Cyprus and another supporting disabled in Turkey.

In 1996, at the tender age of 26 he became the first Turkish Speaking Justice of the Peace recruited to the bench. At the time he was also one of the youngest serving in London and acted as lead on many cultural awareness panels and led a recruitment drive to increase the number of justices from BAME backgrounds.

In more recent years his work has received the recognition that it is deserved, in 2012 he become one of two Turkish Cypriot Olympic torchbearers, in 2014 TCCA became a recipient of the prestigious CENTUS awards and in 2018 he became the first recipient of the Turkish Cypriot Community Awards (an award that is voted for by the general public).