Agenda

Will has worked in the sports industry for the last 17 years. As a chartered sport psychologist he has worked with national agencies, institute of sports and professional sports teams both in Ireland and the UK. He obtained his PhD from the University of Strathclyde Business School (SBS) exploring leadership in professional rugby. He has also carried out extensive research in the horseracing industry exploring mental health within their workforce. He is currently teaching on the MBA programme for the SBS. He has also published in journals like Management Learning and Culture and Organization amongst others.

Simon Blake OBE joined MHFA England as Chief Executive in October 2018, leading the organisation to achieve its vision of normalising society’s attitudes and behaviours around mental health, through training one in ten of the population in mental health skills and awareness. He is Chair of the Dying Matters Campaign based at Hospices UK, Chair of Supporting after Suicide Partnership based at the Samaritans and Chair of the Headspace International Advisory Board. He is also a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. In 2020 he was named as a Global Diversity Leader and the 2021 Pride Power List. He is a writer, campaigner and trainer and was awarded an OBE for services to the voluntary sector and young people in 2011. He enjoys running, equestrian eventing and his dog.

I am a Senior Lecturer in Rider Performance at Hartpury University, and am completing my PhD part-time at the University of the West of England (UWE) investigating the psychological implications of occupational injury on stud and stable staff in British horseracing. I am interested in how injury in the workplace affects staff, their ability to continue in their roles and staff’s mental wellbeing, as well as how we can work together to improve injury risk and support moving forwards. In addition to my job, and studies, I also work as the Area Secretary for the West Mercian Area Pony Racing which I love!

James is an experienced Occupational Health Physician (OHP) and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Healthwork. He qualified with a ‘Distinction’ from medical school in 2013. He completed rotations in hospital medicine before moving across to working in Occupational Medicine. He was the winner of the William Taylor Award in 2020 and he was highly commended by the SOM in Outstanding Occupational Health Practitioner category in 2021. He has experience across a broad range of occupational sectors and types of work. He is a tutor at the Healthwork Academy on a range of course such as spirometry, audiometry, vision, HAVS, case management, report writing & the FOM approved Diploma in Occupational Medicine course. He has spoken at the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) World Congress and he has published journal articles internationally. Menopause in the workplace is a particular area of interest. He presented at the American College of Occupational and Environment Medicine (ACOEM) conference in May 2022. He is experienced at providing CMO level strategic advice to organisations and supporting operations to ensure clinical delivery.

Dr Bob Townley is Director of Postgraduate Programmes at the University of York’s new School of Business and Society. He has also been recently appointed as External Examiner for The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust on their Masters level leadership and consulting programme.

He has a Masters Degree from the London School of Economics, a PhD from the University and Leicester and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). He is an experienced lecturer, researcher and evaluator, specialising in work, small businesses, learning and skills, diversity, mental health, leadership and organisations. During his career he has completed over 50 funded research and evaluation studies and provided consultancy to a range of organisations, including the European Commission, Further Education Trust for Leadership, The British Red Cross and the Welsh Government.

He has a particular interest in wellbeing within (smaller) organisations, particularly at times of crisis and is currently undertaking research on this topic for the North Yorkshire County Council. His particular focus is on the deeper psychological and psychodynamic factors involved for individuals, leaders and teams. His PhD research focused on aspects of loss and mourning within organisations, at times of change, and recent work has explored issues of shame for leaders within the further education sector. He also maintains a strong personal interest in professional sport and the wellbeing issues involved.

Mel Bradford is a Senior Occupational Health Advisor and National Clinical Nurse Manager for Healthwork Group. She has worked in the Occupational Health field in both the Public and Private sector since 1993 across a number of different areas of Industry including Military, Aviation, NHS, Manufacturing, Food Industry, Leisure Industry, Logistics and Local and Central Government. She manages the team of Occupational Health Advisors that work on the Racing Welfare Contract.

Sports Psychologist

Michael is one of the country’s most experienced sport psychologists in the UK having retrained after a career in racing, firstly working in yards and studs for seven years, and then as Chief Executive of the Professional Jockeys Association between 1988-2003.  He now works for Brentford FC in the Premier League, as well as domestic and international cricket, and has had the good fortune to work with some of the world’s leading athletes and coaches across a variety of sporting and performance disciplines.  He has a wealth of experience in health and well being as he understands the demands placed upon people in racing and recently stepped down as a Trustee of The Injured Jockeys Fund after eight years service, where he has again seen so many changes in helping racing deal with the many issues that we now know affects the sports workforce.

Mark is Head of Sports Delivery at Epic Risk Management

Mark was a professional Rugby Union player from 1999 to 2011, playing in the UK and Ireland until a twelve-year gambling disorder eventually ruined his sports career.

Mark’s lived experience and powerful story of overcoming addiction demand an audience’s attention and equip him with the knowledge and gravitas to truly help prevent others from following the same path.

(Source: Epic Risk Management)