Creating Mentally Healthy Workplaces For All

Bio coming soon.

Alicia Collinson is an employment law solicitor at Leeds-based employment law firm Thrive Law. With more than five years of experience, Alicia has worked with both employers and employees in all areas of employment law, with a specific interest in Employment Tribunal litigation for both claimants and respondents. She has a particular interest in ED&I training because much of her time is otherwise spent supporting businesses and employees when something has gone wrong.

Andrea is a seasoned professional in the field of education, training, and mental health. With over 25 years of experience in adult and further education, Andrea brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role. 

Passionate about providing training courses that empower individuals and workplaces to navigate the challenges of both work and life effectively, Andrea is dedicated to fostering positive change in the realm of mental health education and awareness.  

Andrew is wellbeing lead on the Transpennine rail upgrade – one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure projects.  He is working to make wellbeing a strategic priority on the project, as well as making sure wellbeing programmes are equitable and accessible across the Alliance and its partners, and across all job grades and contract/role types. 

Committed to driving change and improvements in mental health and wellbeing, Andrew has supported a whole host of complex organisations throughout his career, managing health and wellbeing programmes that have added real, measurable value in the workplace and beyond. 

A published author, and an award-winning public health expert, over the years Andrew has acted as a national assessor for the Royal Society for Public Health, as well as playing a pivotal role in the London Olympic Legacy Project. 

Anna is an Operations Manager at local mental health charity, Leeds Mind. She has lead teams and individuals for over 15 years, and is passionate about supporting staff to be themselves at work, developing them through trusted relationships, feedback and coaching. 

Anna is an Operations Manager at local mental health charity, Leeds Mind. She has lead teams and individuals for over 15 years, and is passionate about supporting staff to be themselves at work, developing them through trusted relationships, feedback and coaching. 

Astrid is a qualified trainer specialising in Mental Health Awareness, Skills for Managers, Managing Stress and Resilience. She holds a PGCE in Community Education. With over 20 years experience, Astrid’s work has included supporting individuals who experience mental health issues, engaging with employers and working with other marginalised sectors such as homelessness and disability. Throughout her career, Astrid has designed and delivered training and peer support packages alongside working with individuals to enable them to take control of their lives and experiences. Astrid has worked for Leeds Mind for 10 years as a Mental Health Job Retention Specialist and recently was recruited into a dedicated training role. 

Former professional rugby league player, captained Ireland and played over 400 professional games. Now enjoying his role with Rugby League cares delivering engaging sessions in communities and groups looking to enhance wellbeing with our evidenced based mental fitness programme, Offload.  

Catherine combines her lived experience of gambling harms with her extensive education, business and coaching knowledge to lead the delivery of prevention programmes and the Chapter One project.   

Charlotte is a mum of two, change maker and coach for parents in the workplace, empathetic listener and avid theme park explorer. 
 
Charlotte works with businesses to help attract, retain and develop brilliant team members who happen to be parents. 
 
Charlotte says that she doesn’t finish books if they haven’t got her hooked in the first two chapters. She’s partial to time outdoors. And her values around family, authenticity and creativity lead the way in everything she does. 

Chris is the founder of Getting Clean CIC a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation that changes the perception of addiction within society and helps to tackle environmental issues within communities.

Claire is People Director at Abraham Moon & Sons Ltd, and plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s culture, talent development, and employee well-being. 

Her HR career began working for Double Two shirts in Wakefield, where she enjoyed 10 years of people development training whilst there. Claire then completed my CIPD at the University of Huddersfield in 2008 whilst working for SIL Holdings – another textile business where she gained valuable experience over 10 years working for the SIL Group. Having moved to Harrison Spinks in October 2017 as they were just setting up a weaving department, Claire is now fully back in textiles (June 2023) at Moon, which she loves.   

Claire says: “Abraham Moon & Sons has witnessed remarkable growth in employee engagement and retention. My team are championing diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard. Whether it’s implementing innovative HR policies or organising events, we are trying our best with a diverse workforce and multiple shift patterns. 

Beyond work, I enjoy visiting the East Coast and spend most weekends in Bridlington and I love reading, I read anything from knowledge building (currently Mindset by Dr Carol S Dweck) to thrillers – love a bit of Lee Child. My mantra: ““Passionate about the difference that great people leadership makes to the lives and engagement of people at work and how that translates within the wider community for a sustainable future.”

Bio coming soon.

Dr. Best is Professor of Addiction Recovery at Leeds Trinity University, Honorary Professor of Regulation and Global Governance at The Australian National University and Adjunct Associate Professor of Addiction Science at Monash University (Melbourne). He is also chair of the Prisons Research Network of the British Society of Criminology. He is also an Affiliate Senior Scientist at the Public Health Institute in California and a founding member of the College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations in the UK. 

Trained as a psychologist and criminologist, he has worked in practice, research and policy in the areas of addiction recovery and rehabilitation of offenders. He has authored or co-edited seven books on addiction recovery and desistance from offending, and has written more than 230 peer-reviewed journal publications and around 70 book chapters and technical reports. He is one of the leading academics in the area of addiction recovery and a key innovator in developing recovery capital measurement tools and methods. 

Dot Smith is the CEO of Recovery Connections, a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation in the North East of England. Having been employed for 40 years in the sector, she sees her lived experience of the impact of parental alcoholism and domestic abuse as being the biggest influence on her leadership. She is a Churchill Fellow and NE Charity Leader of the Year award-holder, both achieved from the privilege of leading a LERO. 

A proud Yorkshire boy, Gary is founder of the ‘small but perfectly-formed’ consultancy, Joy Junction. With 18 years’ experience working in the fitness industry, professional sport, HR, and employee wellbeing, Gary supports organisations to create joyful workplace cultures through wellbeing conversations.

Grace co-leads work to address gambling harms in Leeds as a Senior Policy Officer in Leeds City Council. As part of the Financial Inclusion Team and working closely with colleagues in Public Health and Licensing, Grace leads a citywide network of organisations seeking to support those affected by gambling as well as leading key projects in the city based around a number of priority areas. This has included the launch of Leeds City Council’s HR guidance to support employees impacted by gambling.

Jack is a senior mental health nurse and practice development lead at the NHS Northern Gambling Service, where he has worked since the service was established in 2019. 

Prior to that, Jack has worked in a variety of addiction and mental health settings. These include in-patient mental health, criminal justice treatment services, community alcohol detox and dual diagnosis. He has undertaken additional training in the delivery of evidence-based approaches and interventions including Motivational Interviewing, Social Behaviour and Network Therapy, 5-step, manualised CBT and also DBT. 

Jack is passionate about working in the field of addiction, both to reduce the stigma faced by those struggling with addiction and to support people on their journey into recovery. 

James uses his lived experience of gambling addiction in a variety of advocacy roles, including founding a nationwide campaign to end gambling sponsorship in football. He is now Head of Prevention at Gambling with Lives, leading education, training and information programmes for young people, professionals and the public. 

As a Generalist HR Manager, one of Jayne’s focuses is “Putting People First” and this is one of Marriott’s core values within the company. Jayne aims to raise engagement within the hotel, ensure people feel included, create a culture of respect and promote the benefits of wellbeing in the workplace, which in return will increase retention, engagement and inclusivity. 

Dr Jen Gardner is a principal clinical psychologist whose role in Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust is focused on supporting the psychological wellbeing of the people who work in the Trust.  She is using a trauma-informed approach to help develop a culture that protects mental wellbeing as well as responding when concerns arise.

Founder and Managing Partner at Thrive Law, is a neurodivergent solicitor, ED&I consultant, coach and trainer, author and campaigner. She is passionate about employment law, mental health and wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I), and neurodiversity. 

20 years working in and around health in Leeds, hugely passionate about our city, its people, communities and the power within them.  

Advocate for inclusion, anti-discrimination and community services that ‘work with’ not ‘do to’, that ask ‘what matters to you?’ not ‘what’s the matter with you?’.  Empowering and supporting people, particularly those facing inequalities, to achieve and maintain positive mental health and wellbeing, through human connections, physical activity and by sharing our experiences openly and safely.

Kat Denvir (she/her) is the Leeds City Council LGBT+ Staff Network Chair, and a Senior Project Manager. Originally from Northern Ireland, she’s delivered sessions on burnout, mental wellbeing, LGBT+ inclusion, intersectionality and soft skills in organisational delivery. Kat’s passion is to helping deliver positive and sustainable change in the equality arena through education, reflective practice and developing confidence when dealing with complex and intersectional topics.  

Prior to setting up Enable Disability & Inclusion Consultants Ltd in 2020, Kate spent over a decade leading and managing student-facing disability support teams in universities in the UK. She is passionate about removing barriers and creating inclusive spaces where people can thrive.  

Kate has extensive experience of identifying adjustments, enabling technologies and strategies to ensure people can work to their strengths, and has led numerous projects to identify and remove barriers and embed inclusion. 

Kate has managed large teams with disabled team members, worked with 1000s of disabled students over the years and brings her own lived experience (and strengths of) neurodiversity to her work. 

Lucy is Chief Executive of local Mental Health Charity, Leeds Mind. With over 25 years’ experience, Lucy began her career in frontline service delivery roles, and gained experience across several social and public health fields such as homelessness, criminal justice, and mental health.

Lucy has substantial operational and leadership experience with a focus on equality and inclusion, lived experience and continuous improvement. Lucy is a keen advocate of lived experience involvement in service design and delivery, having pioneered this approach in a variety of settings during her career.  Lucy sits on a variety of cross-sector and system leadership forums and is an active member of the Health and Care Leaders network and consortium partnerships supporting the mental health system across Leeds and West Yorkshire.  She has held a range of voluntary roles in education and as a Trustee focussing on her specific interests in quality, safeguarding, inclusion, and neurodiversity.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Matt Whitton is Lead Practitioner at 5 Ways Recovery Academy in Leeds. He has spent the majority of his working life supporting people negatively affected by substance use and addiction, and is now proud to focus on helping people to become comfortable in their long term recovery and gain the skills to fly solo.  

Workplaces health and wellbeing lead at Active Leeds, Neil has spent the last 20 years working in the sport and physical activity development sector, growing a range of national and regional projects and programmes. For the last two years, he has been leading on the development of the new ‘Active Workplaces Service’ for Leeds City Council (Active Leeds), which supports the Cities strategies for Health & Wellbeing and Inclusive Growth. Working as part of the strategic senior team, influencing across the physical activity system in Leeds to co-create a place where people move more every day. 

Dr Penny Netherwood works as consultant clinical psychologist within Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust. She is co-leading a new cross-sector programme, Compassionate Leeds, that is supporting the development of trauma-informed practice across organisations that offer services to children, young people and families in Leeds, within health, education, social care and community-based organisations.  

Pete started training as a Mental Health Nurse, but decided that it was not his vocation and left the profession. 

He went on to work in a number of care settings before joining Leeds Autism Services as a Support Worker in 2001. Pete says: 

“When I started here, something just clicked; it felt like coming home, I just love it. I knew autism was a field where I could make a positive impact, and I haven’t stopped learning since the day I started.” 

Since launching his career with the charity, Pete has undertaken a number of roles, and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in late 2017. 

He has worked directly with over 100 autistic adults and their families / carers. During that time, he has gained a unique insight into the shared traits which define such a diverse group of people as being ‘autistic’. 

Pete is a passionate believer in the equal rights and fair treatment of autistic and neurodivergent people. 

Peter is Chair of the Leeds Anchors Network, and of the Leeds City/University Covid Task Force. He is a Board member of the Leeds Academic Health Partnership, the University Alliance, and Yorkshire Universities. 

Peter was educated at the University of Reading, gained his PhD in Modern History from the University of Cambridge and taught history at the University of Manchester and Durham University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College Cambridge, and an award-winning author, teacher and trainer. 

Peter joined Leeds Beckett from the University of Huddersfield where he had been Deputy Vice Chancellor since 2010.  He has held a number of senior roles in higher education management at Northumbria, Durham and Aston universities and at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) where he was Head of Education Policy 

Rachael is responsible for leading on the UK-wide social value strategy for Colas, ensuring this is aligned to the priorities of clients, communities and other stakeholders. 

Rachael is qualified at degree level in Sustainable Communities and her career in social sustainability spans 20 years, including roles in charitable and public sector organisations directly supporting communities in some of the most deprived circumstances in the UK, bringing valuable insight into the challenges people face and the actions that companies, councils and other stakeholders can collectively take to bring change. Rachael’s experience also includes embedding social value through procurement and planning. 

Sam Taylor is Co-Founder and Creative Director of the Leeds-based digital agency madeby.studio. With a deep commitment to ethical digital practices, Sam leads his team in pioneering sustainable online solutions within the MedTech and GreenTech sectors.

Over the past 12-18 months, Sam’s leadership has driven innovation in digital infrastructure, spearheading initiatives to reduce emissions and promote sustainability within website development. His work includes designing and developing low-carbon websites and establishing the GreenTech Gathering, a platform for industry leaders to collaborate on eco-friendly practices to meet Net Zero targets.

Sam’s impact extends beyond business, as he actively mentors emerging talent and advocates for mental health awareness in the workplace. His dedication to social and corporate responsibility has earned him recognition, including accolades such as Yorkshire’s 42 Under 42, BIMA 100 Rising Star and finalist positions in prestigious awards like the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and Santander X Entrepreneurship UK Awards. As a University of Leeds Enterprise Ambassador, he shares his experiences and challenges to empower emerging talent to prioritise ethical practices and creative innovation.

With a passion for creating positive change, Sam is a leading voice in shaping the future of the digital industry towards a more sustainable and ethical direction. As a speaker, he shares insights on innovation, sustainability, and responsible leadership, inspiring audiences to embrace ethical practices and drive meaningful impact in their communities.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samtayl-r/
https://twitter.com/SamTayl_r

Sarah has worked in mental health and social justice for 35 years. She has held a number of Chief Executive roles in the voluntary sector including for the prestigious think tank The Centre for Mental Health. Sarah holds a number of board roles including One Small Thing, Global Leadership Exchange and is a fellow of Sciana Health Leaders Network and Salzburg Global. She regularly appears in the media and is called on by governments and private companies across the world for her mental health knowledge and commentary. Sarah holds a professional doctorate on the topic of women and leadership. When she’s not at work you can find Sarah spending time with her amazing family and large number of pets.  

Sarah has spent the last decade helping organisations to do more – either to protect the environment or to boost the wellbeing of their workforces. After working in corporate social responsibility, it was working for Mind that helped Sarah move across to wellbeing. She completed a workplace wellbeing masters and moved from CSR to HR five years ago. Sarah joined Leeds Beckett in a new role to help focus on colleague wellbeing alongside the established Student Wellbeing team. When not working or on the phone to the NHS in her other ‘job’ as a parent carer, Sarah loves spending time with her daughter and wider family. Precious ‘me time’ for Sarah usually involves reading, walking, or seeing friends. Others would say (and have!) that Sarah is good at thinking about the big picture and bringing different points together, and that she can be serious but with a lot of warmth.  

Sophie is Operations Director – Inclusion at Touchstone.  Sophie started her career in the third sector in London where she worked in mental health and homelessness for nine years, managing supported accommodation projects for people with severe and enduring mental health issues. In 2017 Sophie moved to Yorkshire and joined Touchstone. Sophie joined Touchstone’s Senior Leadership Team from her post as Operations Manager for Liaison and Diversion in West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, bringing knowledge around mental health and criminal justice. Sophie is an experienced and qualified trainer with a passion for inclusive leadership and staff development. 

Steph has worked for Touchstone, a mental health and wellbeing charity in Leeds for over 15 years, in community health development services.  

Steph is an experienced, passionate and skilled volunteer manager and advocate for the power of championing our experience of mental health challenges to encourage others to be open and talk. Steph coordinates a team of volunteer anti-stigma champions in Leeds, who are people with lived experience of mental health conditions who campaign to change the way people think and act about mental health. 

Steve Phillip was a successful leadership and sales coach and corporate speaker, when, in December 2019, he received a call that would change his life forever; his 34 year old son, Jordan, had taken his own life. Within 12 months of this life-changing experience, Steve established The Jordan Legacy CIC to provide hope to people who are feeling suicidal, by engaging all those who share his ambition to move toward a ‘Zero Suicide Society’. With a following of more than 56,000 people on LinkedIn, Steve uses his own lived experience and insight to increase awareness about the practical actions we can all take to prevent suicides. Preventing suicides is one of the biggest transformational change initiatives society faces today and although suicide can affect anyone, everyone can play a part in preventing suicides. Significant change will happen when many micro-actions come together as one collaborative approach to saving lives.  

Suzanne works for Leeds Beckett University and is part of Active Leeds’ strategic ambition group for physical activity in the city. Suzanne’s other research areas encompass physical activity intervention evaluation and behaviour change.