Geoff McDonald

Geoff McDonald is a global advocate, campaigner, and consultant who is passionate about addressing the stigma of mental ill health in workplaces, and about helping organisations embed purpose as a key driver of business performance.

In 2008, he was diagnosed with anxiety fuelled depression, recovery from which led him to discover a new personal purpose. After a 25-year career at Unilever, he left and devoted his time and energy to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace.

He now tells his inspirational story to audiences around the world, knowing first-hand that talking about mental health can, and does, save lives. As a speaker, he engages with leaders to inspire them to embrace mental health issues, empower organisations to put purpose at their core, explore how purpose is critical to mental wellbeing, and how everyone can play their positive role in the world.

Contact Great British Speakers today to book mental ill health in the workplace speaker, Geoff McDonald to speak at your next event.

Type Of Speaker

Burnout Business & Finance Health & Wellbeing Hidden Disabilities High Performance Imposter Syndrome Leadership & Teamwork Mental Health Personal Development Speaker

More About Geoff McDonald

Geoff McDonald left behind a 25-year career at Unilever to help end the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace. As a speaker and consultant, he inspires leaders to empower organisations to play their positive role in the world.

Since his ‘awakening’ he has campaigned to change the way we see mental health, speaking at Oxford, Cambridge, and Warwick Universities, as well as across Australia, Europe, Japan, North America, Italy, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. He as also worked alongside politicians, business leaders, and influencers including the Royal Family and the late Pope Francis.

He has worked as an advisor for Burson-Marsteller, Supernova Ltd, and RISE, and has experience as a trustee for Family Links – a charity promoting and educating parents and teachers to develop emotionally healthy children – and the It’s a Penalty Campaign, which combats the exploration of young children around the world.

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MENTAL HEALTH

Geoff is the co-founder of Minds@Work, who uses storytelling to help members to navigate the challenges of creating emotionally and mentally healthy and human workplaces.

He is also an advisor to United For Global Mental Health, patron of the International Stress Management Association, a member of the Forward Institute, on the advisory board of City Mental Health Alliance, and is a member of the Prince’s Trust Youth Opportunity Taskforce.

Geoff is a passionate campaigner and advocate for breaking the stigma around mental ill health in the corporate world. He is frequently seen on television programmes and in written publications, and is regularly featured in interviews and on podcasts on mental health.

In 2016, he arranged a meeting at No 10 Downing Street with then Prime Minister David Cameron as well as CEOs from FTSE 100 companies to address their role and actions to challenge the way mental health is perceived in business. He has also worked with the Royal Foundation alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales in their Heads Together mental health campaign.

SPEAKER

Using his own personal experience of mental ill health, Geoff draws audiences in with his emotional story, giving everybody a metaphorical wake-up punch. With keynotes in over 15 countries, he has a reputation for energising and inspiring people to take action to help create workplaces that enhance people’s lives.

SPEAKING TOPICS

Organisation Purpose as Driver of Business Performance

The Unilever story and how purpose drove business performance
What does it take to rediscover an organisation’s purpose
What does it take to embed and live organisational purpose
What does that change/transformation programme look like and entail

Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Competitive Advantage

The power of being able to speak up and ask for support if suffering from mental ill health
How to break the stigma of mental ill health in a workplace
How to maintain good mental health as an individual
How to realise a competitive advantage through mental health and wellbeing in a workplace

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CLIENTS

Airbus, Barclays Asia-Pacific, Bologna University, Cambridge University, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC, the NHS, Novartis, Oxford University, Sky, Warwick University

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Geoff McDonald to speak at or host your next live event worldwide.

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Testimonials

I can say categorically that the discussions that I have had with you in the first half of the year helped inform the way that I have looked at embedding the management of Mental Health across HSBC. Your guidance, whilst not formal, gave us confidence to look for more initiatives to move the agenda forward.
Peter Robotham, HSBC

Thank you for your leadership of the recently concluded Mind over Mountains event (the first such Barclays initiative in Asia), I have heard a lot of positive feedback. Thank you too for your inspirational, insightful and enthusiastic participation, and for spending time with our Hong Kong colleagues.
Jaideep Khanna , Head of Barclays, Asia Pacific

We’ve made significant progress out of your talk with a new SKY website now set up. We’re also getting lots of other areas who have heard what we’ve been doing asking for help in their area, we’ve had two in the last week so we’re getting real traction across the business.
Darren Long, Director of Sky Production Services

You are indeed the biggest champion of our organisation’s purpose and wellbeing. Thank you for all you have done for this great institution, we will benefit from it for years to come.
Paul Polman, CEO Unilever

It was an absolute pleasure to have you at our conference today. The team were buzzing after your talk and I know they will work hard to bring those messages to reality. We are committed to removing the stigma attached to mental health and you have played a big role in triggering that change.
David Morgan, EasyJet

As Geoff points out, breaking stigma saves lives. If you’re looking for an amazing speaker who will energise and inspire you and your people to take action to support mental health at work, ask Geoff.
Amy McDonald Founder & CEO Headtorch

Your talk was incredible and has already had genuine impact. This morning I have been inundated with emails and feedback about you, your talk, and your message. This is from all levels (Commandant / Vice-Chancellor to young officers and academics). It has inspired more than just discussion.
Major Tim Towler, Defence Academy

We totally re-shaped our Health and Safety policy… emphasising the mental health of our team as a key priority. Thanks for helping to make our workplace an even safer, happier and more productive place.
Peter Biggs, Chief Executive: Assignment Group NZ

The sustainability session was off the scale. Your telling of the Unilever story, your grasp of the broader sustainability narrative and your ability to engage with members’ questions were first class. And your speech to the room on your own mental health story was as compelling and moving as ever.
Jessica Stack FRSA – Founding Director, Wavelength

Our goal with this event was to kickstart an incredibly important conversation for the L&D profession in Ireland. You… have given our members the belief that they can positively influence change and the courage to start to do something about it.
Kevin Hannigan, HPC Global

We are progressing our commitment to train all our line managers, educate our 4,500 colleagues. Yesterday we had a leadership meeting and our MD quoted our Mental Health work multiple times as being a proud moment for him.
Jonny Jacobs, Strategy and Transformation Director, Pladis UK & Ireland