DAME KELLY HOLMES, KATIE PIPER & JASON FOX RANKED AMONG LEADING UK MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING EXPERTS

ACID attack survivor Katie Piper, Olympic legend Dame Kelly Holmes and TV star Jason Fox are ranked among the leading UK mental health and wellbeing expert speakers.
The results emerged in a poll by Champions Speakers who work with businesses keen to boost employee wellbeing.
The workforce has changed radically over recent years – and employers are paying more attention than ever to the wellbeing of their staff.
And Stress Awareness Month, which falls in April, provides an ideal opportunity for organisations to examine the overall wellness of their workforces and how improvements might be made.
The causes can be very different from person to person, and problems may arise from an incremental build-up of numerous issues that can weigh on the mind of sufferers.
Financial pressures, personal relationship issues and the impact of workloads, can all take a toll on someone’s mental health.
Sometimes others can find it difficult to appreciate another’s perspective and therefore the importance to them of the issues they may be dealing with, so April is a good time to pause and reflect on the wellness of your co-workers.
Figures from the Mental Health Foundation show that an estimated 15% of UK workers have an existing mental health problem.
In 2022/23, there were 17.1 million working days lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
The cost is put at between £42 billion and £45 billion, but research also shows that for every £1 invested in workplace mental health there is a positive return of £5.
Hiring a mental health and wellbeing speaker can help organisations improve their workplace cultures, improve mental health, and learn how to support colleagues.
Jack Hayes, founder and director of Champions Speakers, has a wealth of experience when it comes to assessing organisations to select the best experts to to speak on wellness, either with keynote addresses or in workshop-like events.
He said: “Mental health is sometimes a subject that is treated lightly, but stress can present itself in many ways and there can be serious physical symptoms like headaches, chest pains and digestion issues.
“We have an unrivalled roster of world-leading wellness speakers who can be booked to help break the taboo on mental health and help your organisation to develop peer support groups and train colleagues.”
Extensive feedback from hundreds of events shows the 20 most popular speakers on wellness are currently:
Derek Redmond – Olympian and World Champion
Dame Kelly Holmes – Olympic gold medallist
Katie Piper – acid attack survivor
Toto Wolff – Formula 1 team principal
Jason Fox – former special forces officer
Steve Peters – CEO of Chimp Management
Neil Laybourn – director of Wellbeing Ideas
Ruby Wax – actress and comedian
Jonny Benjamin – founder of Beyond
Shaun Murphy – snooker world champion
Victoria Pendleton – Olympic and world cycling champion
Anna Williamson – dating agent on Celebs Go Dating
Sir Andrew Strauss – ex-England cricket captain
Beverley Callard – Coronation Street legend
Nigel Owens – Rugby Union referee
Colin Jackson – Olympian
Simon Weston – soldier and survivor
James Cracknell – rowing world champion
John Hartson – former professional footballer
Rebecca Adlington – double Olympic gold medal swimmer
Dr Mark Porter – The Times’ medical correspondent