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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

People living with HIV have taught me that success is what you’re doing right now

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Chief encounters: George Valiotis is chief executive of HIV Scotland

What’s the first thing you do when you arrive in the office?
Varies greatly. Monday mornings we have a 15 minute round-table with all the team to map out the week.

What are you working on just now?
HIV Scotland is a policy charity so all our work is project based, I’ve been working with the team to ensure all our projects are comprehensively planned and that they all fit together. I’m currently also doing some work on Pre Exposure Prophylaxis, which is essentially anti-HIV medication that someone who does not have HIV can take as a prevention strategy.

How many hours do you normally work in a day?
I aim to do no more than eight, however too often it's 10 hours.

What makes a good day at work?
A stand-out day recently was at our annual conference run by and for people living with HIV; the year before we met a woman who was newly diagnosed and nervous about attending, fast forward just one year and she’s the chair of a conference that’s published a comprehensive manifesto that public sector leaders can use to improve their policies and services. That really made my heart sing.

People living with HIV have taught me that success is what you’re doing right now

I fundamentally believe that the most efficient way to achieve a society that is just and equal is to focus on the most disadvantaged

George Valiotis

Why do you work in the third sector?
I am interested in work that is challenging and creative. I fundamentally believe that the most efficient way to achieve a society that is just and equal is to focus on the most disadvantaged and so I look for work that can contribute real positive changes. The third sector has offered me the best opportunities for that focus.

How did you end up in your job?
I've worked in lots of different areas starting in community outreach and then general policy jobs, campaigns, workforce planning, and professional education. I’d worked my way up to senior management and found myself consulting in Belgium when a friend emailed me the job description, it included all of my favourite things: HIV, Scotland, policy, and big strategic challenges.

Are boards the strength of the third sector or a thorn in its side?
If they’re the thorn in your side than your governance structure is wrong. We use the Carver model of Policy Governance and investing in our board has meant that I find all board work supportive and strategic. It’s still a lot of work but at least it is all purposeful.

Is this a step on the ladder to success or your final destination?
What people living with HIV have taught me is that success is what you’re doing right now, and right now I’m having a great time both in work and personally. I’ve got so much more to give to the work we do here so I can’t see past that just now but feel free to ask me again some other time …

What scares you most in life?
What I find most threatening, is the thing that is a threat to us all, that we continue to deprive all our children and so many adults of their human rights because we place our own ego-driven moral attitudes as more important, such as not allowing children to have access to the relationships and sex education they need to grow up to be healthy and safe adults, or that if sex workers use condoms it becomes evidence used against them in court, and if they work with another for safety then they are imprisoned for brothel keeping.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever done?
I volunteered to be on a group for a charity wanting to consult the public, but it turned out to be tokenism. I stuck with it for a few years because the issue was important to me but in the end I left with eroded hope and confidence.

How often do you socialise with colleagues outside the Christmas party?
We have a lot of shared lunches and occasionally we’ll go for a drink, but the nature of our work has us spending the day talking in detail about power, family, relationships, politics, drugs, religion, and sex. That doesn’t leave much for after work!

Would your 16-year-old self be impressed with where you are now?
At 16 I was bullied, outed as gay (before I really knew if I was), moved out of home and became very unwell. He’d be glad to know that he grew up to be happy, have great relationships, and be well and productive. Though he’d be rolling his eyes at me talking about us in the third person.

Brian Denis Cox or Brian Edward Cox?
I’m sure they’re both lovely men, but my choice is the inspiring African American transgender woman Laverne Cox (from Orange is the New Black). She has become an inspiring public voice sharing great wisdom about gender, power, sex and work.