Business leaders and mental health experts from across Oxfordshire will gather at the University of Oxford’s Kellogg College this World Mental Health Day for a landmark event examining the financial impact of workplace mental health.
The free event, Stick it to Stigma: Rethinking Mental Health at Work, takes place on Friday 10 October 2025 at The Hub, Kellogg College, in partnership with local charity Oxfordshire Mind. It aims to highlight how poor employee mental health is no longer just a cultural issue but a major financial concern for employers.
Recent reports estimate that poor mental health costs UK employers £42 to £51 billion annually (Deloitte, 2022), while the wider UK economy loses more than £57 billion each year (MHFA England, 2024).
The event will explore the business costs of absenteeism, presenteeism and high staff turnover, and how organisations can prioritise mental health at boardroom level.
The panel will be chaired by Dr Alistair Ross, Director of Psychodynamic Studies and Fellow of Kellogg College, and features a diverse line-up of speakers including:
- Lucy Turner, Chief Purpose Officer, The Gamechanger Collective
- Richard Harmer, Chief Inclusionist, The North Star Collective
- Mark Alexander, CEO, AirTanker, and Alex Batter, Wellbeing and Inclusion Lead, AirTanker
Together they will bring perspectives from academia, business, and lived experience of workplace mental health, opening up honest conversations about stigma and practical solutions.
Alison Cook, Director of Communications at Kellogg College, said:
“We’re proud to welcome such a diverse and knowledgeable group of speakers for this important event. By bringing together business leaders and experts alongside lived-experience voices, we hope to spark meaningful conversations that challenge stigma and inspire action across workplaces.”
Ian Nutt, Head of Development at Oxfordshire Mind, added:
“The calibre of speakers reflects just how important this issue has become. Together, we can show that mental health should be recognised as a core leadership competency – and that by prioritising it, businesses not only support their people from the perspective of workplace culture, but also strengthen their organisations financially.
“The ultimate question is, can workplaces afford not to tackle the challenge of mental health?”
The event will conclude with networking and informal discussion.
Read more: Oxfordshire charity highlights early intervention in suicide prevention
Stick it to Stigma – Rethinking Mental Health at Work will take place on Friday 10 October 2025, from 5.00pm to 7.00pm at The Hub, Kellogg College, Oxford. The event is free to attend, but booking is required via the Kellogg College website.
