C.C. Team
- Oct 23, 2018
- 3 min read

This Can Happen - A Conference for Workplace Mental Health

BBC’s Tina Daheley to host groundbreaking conference tackling mental health in the workplace.

This Can Happen’s agenda is brimming with unique and fascinating content and sessions hosted by international thought leaders. As a solutions-led conference, every speaker will give delegates actionable ideas to take back to work and implement strategically. Allowing corporates and those interested in workplace mental health to come together like never before.

The Mental Health Foundation reports that 1 in 6 people in the UK are experiencing mental health problems in the workplace
ONS suggests that 12.7% of all sickness absence days can be attributed to mental health conditions
TV journalist Tina Daheley is hosting an impressive array of international experts from all sectors to address these issues and offer solutions at This Can Happen
With over 500 delegates from some of the UK’s biggest businesses confirmed so far, it’s set to be the mental health event of the year

London, 27th September 2018: This Can Happen’s inspirational co-founder, Jonny Benjamin MBE, was contemplating taking his own life 10 years ago when a stranger talked him down from the edge of Waterloo Bridge in London. That stranger was Neil Laybourn and together they have played a leading role in the world of wellbeing for the last four years.

Joining forces with Zoe Sinclair of Employees Matter, an employee engagement specialist, this team has created a pioneering event to tackle mental health issues in the workplace called This Can Happen (TCH) : a conference aiming to bring workable strategies and solutions to businesses for tackling mental health throughout their organisation – from the post-room to the boardroom.

Jonny and Neil visit companies across the world to talk about mental health issues, how to spot the signs and how to help. In aid of a mental health charity Heads Together, the pair ran the London Marathon raising almost £50,000. The story of their journey has also been made into an award-winning TV documentary, The Stranger on the Bridge, which aired on Channel 4 in 2015.

"There is a real fear and lack of education around mental health. We don’t grow up talking about it, we simply don’t have the language to. Even if the will is there people ask ‘where do we start?’ This Can Happen will make great strides in raising awareness and encouraging understanding, support and empathy.”

- Jonny Benjamin MBE

Speakers, facilitators and panellists include:

Tina Daheley, Journalist and Presenter at the BBC
Dr. Ellie Canon, Author and Broadcaster
Vinay Kapoor, Americas Head of Diversity & Inclusion at BNP Paribas
Dawn Moore, HR Director at Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure
Glenn Dunn, Partner at Forsters
Shalah Akhtar, Head of PwC Muslim Network at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Karl Simons, Head of Health, Safety, Security, and Wellbeing at Thames Water
Monika Misra, Medical Director Employee Health and Wellbeing at GlaxoSmithKline
Alison Garbutt, Head of Strategic Projects at WHSmith
Some of the fascinating and valuable content covered on the day includes:
Technology and Workplace Mental Health
Creating Your Own Mental Health Approach
Men and Mental Health
Returning to Work after Absence
Getting It Right in the Construction Industry
Key Learnings from Workplace Mental Health Journeys: the Challenges & the Successes
Menopause and Mental Health
Employer versus Personal Responsibility

“I really believe each and every one of us has a responsibility to ourselves as well as our co-workers to acknowledge our own stress and start talking about it and supporting each other.” - Dr Danie du Plessis, Editorial Board, This Can Happen