Find out all about our expert speakers for the Summit on Stress Awareness Day 1st November, when there will be something for everyone with an interest in stress management, mental health, wellbeing and workplace performance.
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Laura founded the Music for Mental Wealth concert series. She is also a professional vocal artist who is featured on Aura for healing soundscapes and stories on meditation apps. Laura has a BA Hons in music and trained as an opera singer before experiencing stage fright as a soloist and joining the London Philharmonic Choir instead. She overcame her anxiety through coaching and was a reviewer and PR manager for The Times before embarking on a mission to improve mental health through the medium of music.
Lizzie is a qualified Coach and HR professional, specialising in organisational health and wellbeing. She holds a graduate diploma in Mental Health and Wellbeing, a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, and is CIPD-qualified. She studied with the International Coaching Federation and practises wellbeing, transformational and positive psychology coaching in person and online. In addition, Lizzie has 14 plus years’ work experience within professional services firms, consulting on global HR projects in the UK and Switzerland. She is an Ambassador for ISMAUK and an active member of ISMAUK’s A-Team. Lizzie loves to teach Hatha Yoga and meditation in her spare time.
Mike is a serial entrepreneur with a long career in finance as a senior credit management consultant, dealing with all matters concerning credit and debt management for both companies and individuals. As someone with lived experience of bipolar affective disorder 1, he is particularly sensitive to dealing with people who have stress-related mental health issues. Mike is a Trustee of the International Stress Management AssociationUK and a trained mental health first aider who speaks professionally to communities, men's groups, schools, companies and conferences about mental health issues.
Nick is one of the leading voices in the workplace wellbeing space with over 18 years’ experience in HR, employee benefits and wellbeing. Before joining Champion Health, Nick was Chief Growth Officer at Mercer UK, part of Marsh McLennan, one of the world’s largest health and benefit consultancies. Nick is passionate about employee wellbeing and the positive change technology, engagement and leadership can have in creating better wellbeing outcomes for people and business.
Nick is a consultant, coach and trainer with over 20 years’ experience. His primary passion is assisting people and organisations to reduce stress and improve wellbeing while handling the pressures that work, life and change can bring. Nick has also written numerous articles on work-life balance. Currently he provides services as part of Living Balances, a partnership practice which helps people and organisations handle pressure and progress through change. Nick is also a lifelong amateur/ semi-professional musician who has written about how music can help us manage stress.
For twenty years Sony Award Winner, Russ Kane, was the voice of Capital Radio’s ‘Flying Eye’ where he formed an on-air partnership with Chris Tarrant to create the most listened-to commercial radio show in the world, with an audience in excess of 4 million. In January 2019 Russ co-founded Men’s Radio Station – a station devoted to the discussion of men’s mental health and wellbeing. Russ is also a Director of Women’s Radio Station and Co-Founder of The Sound Mind Radio Group. He is co-creator of the ‘Walk The Talk’ podcast series and has written two books – the third is underway.
Ruth has worked in senior HR roles for over 25 years, mainly in road haulage and civil engineering. Having joined BAM Nuttall as HR Director in 2011 and been Global Director for Mental Health and Wellbeing at the Royal BAM Group, she is now Head of Workplace Wellbeing at BAM UK & IRL. As a Trustee of the Men’s Health Forum, she has a keen interest in men’s mental health and child & adolescent mental health. Ruth gained a Masters in Workplace Health and Wellbeing in 2021 and was named “Most Inspiring Mental Health Leader” by This Can Happen. She has a Masters in Law and is a Fellow of the CIPD.
Ryan created FinWELL Training Ltd to help employee and leadership teams understand, measure and improve financial wellbeing, empowering them to achieve healthier relationships with money and better mental health.
He has over 10 years’ experience in financial services, and is an accredited workplace financial education specialist, mental health first aider and keynote speaker. In 2020 he founded the not-for-profit Let’s Improve Workplace Wellbeing CIC to connect those passionate about improving wellbeing within their workplace. Ryan is an ambassador and advisory board member for the Ripple Suicide Prevention Charity, a member of the Global Wellness Institute leadership team, and also part of the leadership team for the not-for-profit Financial Wellbeing Within Sport CIC
As an outdoor coach, Simon leads his life with a deep curiosity for people and experiences, a passion for open collaboration, a desire to keep things simple, and a love of the outdoors. Simon strongly believes in combining powerful questioning and inspiring natural spaces to open up fresh perspectives and help create insights and clarity. Simon has been coaching for 18 years, and when he is not guiding clients through their challenges and opportunities, he's outdoors, leading groups on wellbeing walks in local parks, forests and mountains. Simon is passionate about helping others access the power of walking in nature to support their mental health.
Tony is lead partner of the Digital Defence practice at Deloitte UK, with over 30 years’ experience in defence and national security. He is a keen advocate for changing mindset, not toolset, to achieve digital transformation and campaign advantage, helping clients to adopt new thinking, disruptive technologies, and ethical AI across military domains. He has a unique background as a former British Army officer, government advisor, and business leader, and is passionate about mental health, from his time spent on military operations and supporting colleagues in the workplace. He is Deloitte’s public sector lead for diversity, wellbeing and inclusion, and introduced their Ways of Working approach, embedding wellbeing and inclusion into their work.
Ursula Smith is an international chamber musician who has played at the Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, and Salzburg Festivals. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Yale University and is currently a Professor of Cello and Senior Tutor in Chamber Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She was a member of the Zehetmair Quartet from 2006 to 2012, and Principal Cello of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for a decade from 1993. Ursula places great store by an open-minded and flexible approach to music coaching, challenging students to think differently, exploring fresh angles. She also focuses on the way we use our bodies to make music and believes in the power of music to encourage mental relaxation.
As an outdoor coach, Simon leads his life with a deep curiosity for people and experiences, a passion for open collaboration, a desire to keep things simple, and a love of the outdoors. Simon strongly believes in combining powerful questioning and inspiring natural spaces to open up fresh perspectives and help create insights and clarity. Simon has been coaching for 18 years, and when he is not guiding clients through their challenges and opportunities, he's outdoors, leading groups on wellbeing walks in local parks, forests and mountains. Simon is passionate about helping others access the power of walking in nature to support their mental health.