Workplace Wellbeing Academy

Meet the Team

Meet the Team

Bill Cunningham – Director

Psychologist | Mental Health Educator | Workplace Wellbeing Specialist

Bill has been delivering stress and mental health awareness training across the UK and Ireland since 2004. As one of the first certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructors in England, he has had the privilege of empowering diverse audiences—from corporate teams to community groups and public sector professionals—with the tools to foster mental health and wellbeing.

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From 2009 to 2017, he served as a National Trainer for MHFA England CIC, leading the training of 30 cohorts of new MHFA instructors to extend the impact of mental health education in workplaces and communities.

His expertise includes developing evidence-based training programs grounded in Cognitive Behavioural Theory, Mindfulness, and Positive Psychology to equip individuals with proactive strategies for promoting positive wellbeing. These programs have been tailored for organisations such as the NHS and the armed forces community.

Between 2017 and 2019, he worked for Saint John of God Hospital in Dublin, the licensed provider of MHFA in Ireland. As National Trainer, he not only delivered training across Ireland but also designed the MHFA Ireland instructor training program and materials. Notably, he led a program for An Garda Síochána (Irish police), many of whom advanced to become MHFA instructors. he continues to collaborate with MHFA Ireland as an Associate Trainer.

At the Workplace Wellbeing Academy, which he co-founded, he has developed and adapted accessible training materials in partnership with organisations such as the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. His work is driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to practical, inclusive tools for enhancing mental health and wellbeing.

He is a member of the British Psychological Society, the Psychological Society of Ireland, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

What our Clients say about Bill

“Bill is an excellent trainer with superb subject knowledge. I would highly recommend him.”

Simon Richardson, Golden Tree CIC

What our Clients say about Bill

“Bill is one the most effective trainers I have ever worked with. I very much look forward to working with him again.”

Bernie Graham, MHS Training and Consultancy Ltd

What our Clients say about Bill

“A fantastic, course, some incredible real-life examples and I could happily sit and listen to Bill talk all day. Thank you.”

Anon

What our Clients say about Bill

“Bill is an excellent trainer and mentor.”

Trevor Bell, TBAS Ltd.

Glen Ridgway – Director

Glen’s journey into mental health and wellbeing advocacy began with his own recovery following a breakdown in 2008. Using this experience as a foundation, he went on to design and implement his employer’s global Mental Health Matters strategy. This included developing comprehensive training materials, such as a full-day course promoting mental health awareness, and building a community of over 1,500 positive mental health champions worldwide.

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As a Divisional Director of the global HSE team, Glen travelled extensively across North and South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East to support the delivery of the strategy. During this time, Glen’s greatest revelation was that mental health is a universal issue affecting all communities. While delivery methods may vary, the core message remains the same: investing in mental health and wellbeing benefits individuals and organisations alike.

Glen is also a founding father of Safer Highways and a key architect of the first-ever sector-wide mental health survey, which assessed the highways industry’s implementation of the Stevenson-Farmer Thriving at Work report.

His client portfolio includes organisations such as the Palace of Westminster Restoration & Renewal Project, Safer Highways, Applied Driving Technique, City & Guilds (UK), Hope for Children, Charity IT Leaders, and others who value Glen’s discretion and expertise.

With years of practical experience in delivering mental health and wellbeing strategies, Glen specialises in creating sustainable, long-term change that helps organisations thrive while enabling employees to flourish every day.

What our Clients say about Glen

“Glen was instrumental in shifting our culture and making us aware and comfortable to talk about mental illness. The programmes we now have in place have been directly influenced by the work we did with Glen when developing our strategy.”

Paul Lindsay Health, Safety & Wellbeing Director, Palace of Westminster Restoration & Renewal Project

What our Clients say about Glen

“In my time working with Glen over the past few years I’ve known him to be one of the most effective mental health leads I’ve come across. What he achieved leading Jacobs’ mental health champions initiative at a global level was ground-breaking.

Heather Kelly (This Can Happen)

What our Clients say about Glen

“Glen guided us in opening up the discussion on mental health in our newly merged company, helping others to feel emotionally safe in an unsettling time, which promoted trust between new colleagues.”

Ivana Moretti Communications Director, Worley

What our Clients say about Glen

“Glen’s practical experience in implementing workplace mental health strategies has been invaluable as we begin to roll out our own People and Wellbeing Strategy.”

Vashti Holland, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

Iain Smith – Director

Iain has a proven track record of enhancing individual, team and group performance at executive, leader and manager level.

After a long career in transport, he moved into consultancy where he has worked as a consultant for many companies as well as in a number of other sectors including transport, education, forestry, pharma and local government.

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Iain has an energetic and innovative change agent who brings a personable, engaging and honest communicative approach to each project. With more than 30 years in the L&D field he understands how to align training programmes with the specific need of clients. Allied to this he understands the fundamentals of how to engage with staff at all levels to ensure maximum participation. He has the theoretical knowledge and practical experience to ensure training and development programmes achieve long term, sustainable success.

What our Clients say about Iain

“I’ve worked with Iain for the past two years on improving the engagement and collaboration within my team at City & Guilds Group. He has been fantastic – honest, helpful, challenging, engaging and energetic.”

Mikki Choman Draggoo
Corporate Relations Director, City & Guilds Group

What our Clients say about Iain

“Iain combines great strategic vision & a searching analytical ability which he uses to turn concepts into successful reality.”

John Soden
Immigration Consultant at Clark Wilson LLP

What our Clients say about Iain

“Iain has a rare combination of high energy effectiveness and a considered, pragmatic approach. The combination has endeared him to many and his ability to initiate, qualify and see through innovative ways of working in a highly complex business is outstanding. He has a passion for helping and seeing people develop and is a great catalyst for action. I really enjoyed working with him!”

Toby Barnes
Global Talent Leader

What our Clients say about Iain

“Iain is immensely creative, energetic and infectiously positive of outlook. As a problem solver, he is second to none and a first class leader. I can, with certain confidence, recommend Iain for pretty much anything he puts his talents to. Everyone needs an Iain in their organisation.”

Simon Wallis
Head of People & Development at Newtyne Consultancy and Training Limited

Shireen Ali-Khan – Associate

Shireen Ali-Khan has 20 years’ experience in communications, engagement and change. Working with many of the UK’s major infrastructure programmes, she has built relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including business, employees, educational establishments, charities, and community groups.

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She is passionate about understanding human behaviours and motivations which has been integral in developing others to thrive. Her people first approach, authenticity and holistic style makes Shireen stand out from the crowd. The impact she has had on the programmes she has worked on has ensured sector wide legacy for example, the work of the Crossrail Community Investment Programme, which saw activity from all contractors across the entire route supporting a range of vulnerable community groups. Shireen led on communications and wellbeing for several organisations during the Covid 19 Pandemic, ensuring staff were supported and engaged with throughout and has recently launched the Muslim Mind Collaborative, an evidenced based programme which brings together faith based and national mainstream mental health organisations to develop a Muslim focused strategy to mental health and wellbeing.

Her interests extend into leadership, development, intersectionality, trauma, psychology, productivity and habits. She has advised on emerging risks and threats in this area, and championed the escalation of mental health up the leadership agenda.

Some of Shireen’s previous clients include:

  • Transport for London
  • Tideway
  • High Speed Two
  • Crossrail
  • Royal Academy of Engineering
  • Institute of Engineering and Technology
  • Muslim Mind Collaborative

Shireen is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and Association of Project Managers

What our Clients say about Shireen

“I have seen how her energy, skill and charisma can be a game changer and couldn’t recommend her highly enough”

Tree Hall – Associate

Finding out that she is AuDHD (autistic and ADHD) at 48 changed the way that Tree viewed herself and her place in the world. Armed with this new understanding, she began therapy to unpick years of masking and give herself permission to be her authentic AuDHD self. Tree uses her lived-experience to help foster greater understanding and inclusivity of neurodivergence, helping to make the workplace an accessible space where neurodivergent colleagues can thrive alongside their neurotypical peers.

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After 16 years as a highly successful fundraiser and marketeer, delivering major events and fundraising programmes for organisations including Asthma UK, The Outward Bound Trust, St John’s Hospice and Action for Children, Tree took a career break after having children and established herself as an Ofsted registered childminder. Finding out that both of her children are neurodivergent was the catalyst for seeking her own diagnoses. Tree uses her first-hand experience of navigating the challenges that education, healthcare and life present for neurodivergent children, and her own experiences as an AuDHD adult, to inform her advocacy and training.

She now balances her work as a neurodivergent advocate and trainer, with her role as CEO of Charity IT Leaders, and family life with two children, her husband and two cats.

What our Clients say about Tree

Tree captivated our audience of workplace occupiers, designers and managers with her first-hand, personal experience of work and the workplace. it was definitely one of the most inspiring and thought-provoking sessions in our 20+ year history of workplace conferences.

Maggie Procopi
Workplace Trends

What our Clients say about Tree

Tree does an incredible amount of work within the neurodivergent community, creating open spaces for people to come together. She is passionate about workplace diversity, inclusion and equity and creating an accessible work environment for future neurodivergent generations.

Anon

Kai-Nneka Townsend – Associate

Kai-Nneka is a dedicated Leadership and Burnout Consultant whose primary mission is to empower leaders and their teams with the resilience and stress management strategies necessary to foster a sustainable and thriving work environment. She specialises in helping leaders recognise and mitigate the risks associated with workplace burnout through tailored workshops, one-on-one coaching, and evidence-based interventions.

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Her approach intertwines the latest research on resilience and stress with practical, actionable techniques that can be seamlessly integrated into daily work life. By equipping leaders with these tools, she helps them enhance their own resilience and support their teams to perform at their best without sacrificing employee well-being.

Kai-Nneka is also a certified DiSC® Practitioner, providing organisations with a personal assessment tool to help improve teamwork, communication, and productivity in the workplace. Her work ignites cultural change and inspires lasting behaviour changes that positively shape their workforce.

What clients say about Kai-Nneka

“We have noted improvements in managing stress levels and confidence under Kai-Nneka’s guidance. Her ability to ask insightful questions helped us identify gaps in thinking, providing us with new perspectives and a stronger sense of control over our stress challenges. “

What clients say about Kai-Nneka

“Kai-Nneka excels in structuring and facilitating group coaching sessions. Participants felt included, heard, and respected, benefitting from open discussion and well-summarised takeaways for further self-development. These sessions have been crucial in boosting team morale, encouraging innovative thinking, and improving team working.”

What clients say about Kai-Nneka

“Kai-Nneka’s practical insight has helped us make relevant changes for lasting impact on achieving more balance in the team. I highly recommend her”

Natalie Treacher – Associate

An experienced trainer and health promotion specialist, Natalie has 10 years experience as a manager in mental health social care. She has also worked as a teacher and vocational assessor of metal health and social care in Further and Higher Education since 2012. A Mental Health First Aid Instructor since 2009, Natalie has recently worked as National Training Lead (Adult & Workplace) for MHFA Ireland where she developed products including bespoke programmes for corporate clients and systems for initiating and supporting networks of MHFAs/peer supporters.

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Natalie has worked in mental health promotion and support projects with young people, families, communities and organisations in the UK and Ireland. She has a special interest in employee engagement, listening, communication and leadership skills and has recently supported a programme to promote the health and wellbeing of shift workers. Natalie is holistic in her approach to supporting and coaching ways to wellbeing and is certified as a coach in running fitness, nutrition and sleep.

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Workplace Wellbeing Academy