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Managing Director - Sam Downie

Sam started her career as a research psychologist and went on to set up and lead mental health services at local, regional and national level. With a personal and professional commitment to the value of diverse and inclusive teams Sam has led DEIB programmes and been a national Safeguarding Lead.

During Sam’s career she has retained her interest in research and in developing effective, evidence-based interventions that have positive impact at system, organisational and individual level. Prior to leading Mates in Mind, Sam was the CEO of WPF Therapy.

Sam has a Masters in Leading in Organisations: Psychodynamic and Systemic Approaches.

Patron - Michelle Wiles

Michelle Wiles was our first patron to join Mates in Mind.

The Wiles family have been incredible supporters and advocates of Mates in Mind in memory of Chris, Michelle's husband, for the last few years. They have done excellent work raising awareness of mental health issues that can be caused by stress at work. Michelle is a wonderful ambassador for our organisation, having a powerful message that has resonated with so many people and encouraged these vitally important frank conversations about mental health.

Meet our Trustees

Kevin Myers – Chair

Kevin joined the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a Factory Inspector in 1976. He has held a wide range of operational, policy and strategy posts in HSE. From HSE's Chief Inspector of Construction, to Director of HSE's Hazardous Installation Directorate, he was appointed HSE's Deputy Chief Executive in 2008, before retiring in 2016.

Steve Hails

Steve is a Director of Business Services & HSW for Tideway and has more than 20 years' experience managing health and safety in several sectors including engineering, manufacturing and construction. He is an Honorary Fellow of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) and a founding member of the Health in Construction Leadership Group, continuously promoting the importance of health in construction. He is also a Chartered Member of IOSH and President of the Construction Health & Safety Group (CHSG)

Paul Cottam

Paul is an experienced Trustee, having previously spent nine years on the board of the British Safety Council, and has held several board directorships in the built environment sector over the last 20 years. As such we welcome his business expertise, and passion that, not just safety, but wellbeing, is a key business success indicator across the construction and property-related sectors.

Nicola Hodkinson

Nicola's previous work improving mental health within the construction sector makes her an ideal addition to our trustee board. As a custodian of the Seddon family business, Nicola is committed to assuring longevity and a sustainable future for the organisation. This dedication to the long-term health of her family business, and central belief that there is no health without mental health, reflects Mates in Mind’s core values.

Allan Wright

Allan is Managing Director of Civils & Lintels and has had a progressive 30-year career within the construction materials distribution sector with key relationships across both supply chain and contractors at all levels. He is also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Builders Merchants and a Fellow Member of the Institute of Builders Merchants.

Danny Clarke

Danny is the commercial director for the National Federation of Builders and Director of Occupational Health and Wellbeing Community Simply-People. He has over 20 years of experience within Occupational Health and Safety in several sectors including construction, transportation and consultancy. He is a Chartered Member of IOSH and sits on numerous boards within Construction and Occupational Health including the Association of Occupational Health and Wellbeing Practitioners, HCLG, CIC amongst others.

Sean Sadler

Sean is an award winning and experienced Senior IT Leader, Advisor, Mentor and Trustee for both corporate and charitable organisations. He has been professionally recognised by becoming a Chartered IT Professional of the British Computer Society and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

Sean has worked within both the private and public sectors, where he has performed as a visionary leader building high performing teams and built business-enhancing systems and services. Sean has moved into a Director of Consulting role related to Cloud and Digital Transformation, to provide other companies with the benefit of his knowledge and experience.

From a personal perspective, Sean has a real passion for using the knowledge and experience he has gained to help address some of the issues facing society today, such as digital poverty, homelessness and the responsible use of technology to enhance sustainability initiatives. He is also keen to inspire others to think of how they could do more.

Ian Bucknell

Ian’s career has been largely spent in senior positions in the property, media and marketing industries before a final nine years as finance and operations director of Asthma UK retiring in 2013.

He has served as a trustee, treasurer and chair of the investment committees for other national charities and is a Chartered Accountant. Other than finance his experience includes corporate planning and strategy, change management and board responsibility for HR and IT and corporate governance.

Meet the Mates in Mind Team

Martin Lockham - Head of Growth & Fundraising

Recheal Valderama.

Recheal Valderama - Supporter Development Manager

Peter Kelly - Mental Health Advisor

Claudia Trotter.

Claudia Trotter - Support Manager

Pete Ludgate.

Pete Ludgate - Support Manager

Gabrielle Taylor - Support Manager

Julia Shervington.

Julia Shervington - Marketing and Communications Manager

Continue reading - Annual Reports

Learn more about Mates in Mind's key activities and achievements from the past year in our annual reports. These reports are also an opportunity to recognise the contributions and achievements of our wider community.

Explore our Reports

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