This Can Happen is the largest corporate event dedicated to mental health in the workplace in the UK. The unique and ground-breaking conference launched in November 2018, bringing mental health experts together with the country’s largest corporates to inspire, educate and strategise on innovative ways for leaders to step up and accept a significant role in the care of their employees’ wellbeing. Planning for the 2019 event on November 25th is at full pace and delegation tickets are selling fast.
The growing mental health crisis in the UK was the motivation for founders Zoe Sinclair, Archie Sinclair and Neil Laybourn to put their heads together to seek solutions for businesses who, until very recently, were in the dark about the catastrophic consequences of taking little or no responsibility for the mental health of their workforce. The team brought their unique and relevant skills to the ambitious project: Zoe has successfully run Employees Matter for 15 years, helping businesses support their employees with wellbeing and work-life balance; Archie is a business leader who brings over 2 decades of experience in organising events to the table and Neil is a mental health campaigner and advocate, inspired by life-changing events that took place 10 years ago. One winter morning Neil was walking through Central London when he spotted a lone figure on the edge of Waterloo Bridge. Jonny was contemplating taking his life and Neil, a complete stranger, talked him down. Awareness and compassion literally saved a life and together Neil and Jonny have harnessed the experience to help thousands of others. The pair have become highly regarded speakers on the subject of mental health and as suicide rates soar in the UK, their work in schools and throughout the corporate world has become ever more critical.
The reality of the enormous potential impact of a mental health conference targeting the corporate world began to take shape and This Can Happen was born. As the team started planning and reaching out to experts from across all sectors, they discovered that the problem was far more far-reaching than they expected and that the willingness amongst leaders to forge a path of change was vast, it just needed to be tapped.
Vision
In November 2018 Zoe, Archie and Neil’s vision was realised. This Can Happen welcomed over 800 delegates and speakers who gathered in a Central London hotel with the aim of shaping the future of mental health care and the way it is organised and managed in workplaces across the country and ultimately globally. Thought-leaders and senior business figures came together in a meeting of minds, ideas and lateral thinking to build a standard practice protocol that could be accesses by every type of organisation in any sector.
This Can Happen was honoured when HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge agreed to attend the event to speak on a panel about a subject close to his heart. His courageous and candid recollection of experiences during his 5 years as a helicopter pilot with the RAF’s Search and Rescue Force touched all those who witnessed the public figure talk so openly about the mental trauma of witnessing death and severe injury. His session received critical acclaim and was supported by over 50 similar sessions with equal impact.
Speakers
The team faces the tough challenge of matching the impressive 2018 speaker roster for the second event and This Can Happen’s Advisory Editorial Board is working to identify exceptional speakers and panellists who will shape the event’s thought provoking agenda. The board meets monthly to ensure that This Can Happen delivers a new standard of solutions-led talks and discussions.
The expert speakers will empower the delegations to return to their companies with new and innovative ideas for spotting the warning signs and supporting those with mental health issues with practical and manageable tools and strategies.
Speakers are carefully selected for their engagement with workplace mental health and each one brings something unique to the event.
Keynote speaker Nadiya Hussain, presenter, author and winner of The Great British Bake Off in 2015 will be joined by a host of other inspiring and knowledgeable speakers, including:
- SINEAD LYNCH – Chair, Shell UK
- MICHAEL FROHLICH – CEO, Ogilvy UK
- REBECCA PRIESTLY – Chief Executive Officer, Outer Temple Chambers
- ALISON THOROGOOD – Learning & Development Manager, Nando’s
- AMANDIP SIDHU – CEO/ Founder, Doctors in Distress
- SARAH CHURCHMAN OBE – People Director Chief Inclusion, Community & Wellbeing Officer, PwC
- HEATHER EDWARDS – Customer Insights Executive, MoneySuperMarket Group
- STEVE DEMETRIOU – Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Jacobs
- NATASHA WILSON – Employee Communication Manager, Fidelity International
- ALASTAIR ANTELL – Head of Propositions – Health and Wellbeing, Aviva UK
- JUNE CLARK – Health and Wellbeing Manager, Nestle UK & Ireland
- DEBORAH EDMONDS – Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Gatwick Airport
- WILL BUSHELL – Brand Business Leader – Garnier Skincare, L’Oréal
- JANE ROQUES-SHAW – Board Director, Institute of Internal Communications, Director, Internal Communications and Culture, Warner Bros. Entertainment
- PAULINE MILLER – Head of Talent Development and Inclusion, Lloyd’s of London
- PAUL FEENEY – CEO, Quilter
- NANCY LENGTHORN – Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Future Talent, MediaCom
- MARI THROMAN – Enterprise Architect Corporate Banking, HSBC
- HARPREET BUTOY – Regional Chair – Multicultural Network, Royal Bank of Scotland
Sessions
This year’s inspiring agenda has been designed to address key issues in workplace mental health. Sessions include:
- Addressing Mental Health at Boardroom Level – The CEO’s Speak
- How an Industry Has Come Together to Address Mental Health
- Faith, Diversity, and Mental Health
- Starting Your Workplace Mental Health Journey
- A Deeper Understanding of Suicide
- Lessons from the Legal Profession
- The Importance of Internal Communication Campaigns in a Successful Mental Health Strategy
- How to Support Positive Behaviour Change
- Your Mental Health Strategy: The Importance of Impact Measurement
- Navigating the Growing Marketplace
- Finding the Right Mental Health Solutions for Your Workplace
- Understanding the Impacts of Post Natal Depression
- First-hand Experiences of Addiction
TCH Awards
This Can Happen is dedicated to celebrating and encouraging excellence in an organisation’s approach towards positive mental health for their employees. The This Can Happen awards take this commitment to the next level by recognising companies and individuals working outside the box to come up with innovative and workable strategies. The awards are open to all workplaces and individuals who champion mental health. Entries were received in September and the adjudicators have been overwhelmed by the true innovation they have seen in applications. Winners will be presented with their accolades at an awards reception on Thursday 21 November in Central London, 5 days before This Can Happen 2019.
The power of mental health champions, advocates and ambassadors cannot be underestimated. The process of planning the 2019 event has instilled in the team an impetus to make this year’s conference bigger and braver than the first, simply because they know how many thousands of people are in desperate need of support at work.
Book your place
To join us on this journey to change the face of workplace mental health, book your delegation for Monday November 25th 2019 at www.tchevents.com
