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Chinyama (Chin) Okunuga joined Epsom and St Helier as Site Chief Executive Officer this month making her one of the most senior Black women in the NHS.

Chin has written this open letter to her 18,000 colleagues about why representation matters and her commitment to challenge inequality wherever she can.

She said: "I don’t think I could have chosen a more significant time to join Epsom and St Helier.

Arriving during Black History Month has given me an opportunity to reflect on my own leadership journey, the shoulders on which I stand, and the responsibility that comes with my new role.

In my first few weeks, something has struck me. Black colleagues have noticed my arrival.

Some have approached me, others have acknowledged me with a smile or a few words. These moments have been heartwarming, but they have also made me pause and reflect.

Because I know what it feels like to walk into a room and look around for someone who looks like you. Someone whose presence makes you feel that perhaps you belong there too.

Throughout my career, I have often been the first, the second or the only Black woman around the table.

I am proud of my journey and grateful for the opportunities I have had. But I have also learnt that being the first or the only comes with its own challenges. Sometimes it means navigating spaces where you are highly visible, but don’t always feel equally heard. Sometimes it means having to work that little bit harder to have your competence recognised or your contribution valued.

And sometimes it means carrying the unspoken responsibility of knowing that how you show up may shape perceptions of those who come after you.

These experiences have shaped my leadership and strengthened my determination to make the journey easier for others.

It is one of the reasons I became a founding member of the Black Women on NHS Boards network. I believe deeply in the importance of creating spaces where we can support one another, share experiences, celebrate achievements and help create opportunities for the next generation of leaders.

But I also believe that representation alone is not enough.

Representation may open the door to possibility, but it is what we do with our influence that determines whether that door stays open for others.

That belief has guided much of my leadership journey. I have always been intentional about mentoring, sponsoring and creating opportunities for others. Because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always equally distributed.

And as leaders, we have a responsibility to do something about that.

Black History Month is an important opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary contributions Black people have made, and continue to make, to our NHS.

We stand on the shoulders of pioneers such as Daphne Steele, the NHS’s first Black matron, whose legacy we honour through Daphne Steele Day at St George’s. Her story reminds us that progress is made possible by people who have the courage to break barriers and challenge expectations.

But celebrating our history must also give us the courage to confront our present.

We cannot celebrate Black excellence in October and remain silent about the inequalities that Black colleagues experience throughout the rest of the year.

We know that race can still influence people’s experiences of recruitment, career progression, disciplinary processes and access to opportunity. We know that talented colleagues can sometimes feel overlooked, underestimated or that they have to work harder to prove themselves.

These are not simply statistics in workforce reports. They are lived experiences that affect people’s confidence, aspirations, wellbeing and sense of belonging.

And they should matter to every one of us.

On only my second day here, I heard our Group Chief Executive, Mat, speak openly about the unwarranted differences that continue to exist between the experiences of our white colleagues and those from the global majority.

That mattered to me.

Because acknowledging inequality is an important starting point. But we cannot change what we are unwilling to confront, and we cannot measure our commitment to equality simply by what we say. It must be reflected in what we do.

This requires us to listen, even when the conversations are uncomfortable. To challenge practices that may unintentionally disadvantage colleagues. To be curious about experiences that are different from our own, and to recognise that good intentions do not always translate into fair outcomes.=

As leaders, we must be prepared to ask ourselves difficult questions. Who gets the opportunity? Whose potential do we recognise? Whose voices are heard? And who might we be unintentionally leaving behind?

These are questions I believe we should all be asking, not just during Black History Month, but throughout the year.

As I begin my journey at Epsom and St Helier, I am conscious that my appointment carries significance beyond me.

I am proud to have a seat at the Board table. But I don’t want my presence to be seen as an exception. I want it to be part of a changing story, one where our leadership increasingly reflects the diversity, talent and richness of the workforce and communities we serve.

And I know that I too have a responsibility to help make that happen.

To colleagues who have seen something of themselves in my arrival, I want you to know that I see you too.

I see your talent, your potential, your ambition and the contribution you make every day. And I want you to feel that there is a place for you to grow, develop and succeed here.

My commitment is to lead with authenticity, to listen, to create opportunities, to challenge inequality wherever I can and to use my voice and influence to help others progress.

Because ultimately, the measure of my leadership will not simply be that I made it through the door, but whether I helped leave that door wider open for those coming behind me.

That is what representation means to me. And that is the commitment I bring to Epsom and St Helier."