CMHAA

The Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia is part of a growing global movement for better workplace mental health, which began in the UK over a decade ago with the establishment of the City Mental Health Alliance UK (CMHA UK).

A number of Australian business leaders had felt for some time that more could be done by corporate Australia to support mental health in the workplace, and decided to act on that view. They had heard of the great work of CMHA UK led by Poppy Jaman OBE, and were particularly interested in the organisation’s business-led, expert-guided approach to addressing this growing challenge.

The group reached out to other business leaders to determine their interest in forming a similar alliance in Australia. Some of the country’s largest employers were immediately drawn to the idea, and in early 2020 the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia was formally established with seed funding provided by its 15 founding members and participants.

Many of the organisations involved in the Alliance are direct competitors, yet on their commitment to workplace mental health, they are as one. They recognise that the mental wellbeing of their employees transcends market dynamics, and that working together collaboratively will give them the best chance of delivering real impact for their people.