2009 mh@work® recieved an Honourable Mention from LIFE AWARDS as an acknowledgement for work done in Suicide Prevention in the workplace.

Ingrid Ozols  B. Sc, Grad Dip Bus Mgmt, Grad Dip Comm Mental Health, is the founder and Managing Director of MentalHealth@Work (mh@work®). Using her personal experience of mental illness to wellness to role model recovery, the vast possibilities, hope and the power of passion, Ingrid brings a topic out from hiding and on to the board table. Combining a 15 year career in sales/marketing and human resources, through mh@work®, Ingrid is helping workplaces to embrace a topic that for too long has been stigmatised and feared.

Ingrid, a Victorian State Finalist in 2007 Telstra Business Women’s awards, is an active advocate of many years for mental health, having participated on many national boards, committees and advisory groups. Until recently Ingrid was a board member of the Mental Health Council of Australia during the COAG deliberations and the inaugural Chair of beyondblue’s blueVoices, their consumer and carer arm since beyondblue for 6 years. Other boards included: the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry, the General Practitioner’s Mental Health Standard’s Collaboration.

Ingrid travels the nationally and internationally speaking to many groups, facilitating forums and seminars,conferences and having appeared regularly in the media, including "Morning with Kerri-Anne", ABC's "7:30 Report" and on radio programs. Ingrid has also addressed members of federal parliament and is based in (Melbourne).

Ingrid regularly chairs and facilitates National Psychological Injury, Mental Health Conferences and Seminars (IIR, AFR, Tonkin Corporation and other industry functions).

2009, Ingrid was in the top 9 of Ernst and Young's "Entrepeneur of the Year - Social Contribution Category"

Ingrid, through mentalhealth@work (mh@work®) is a proud official ambassador for Lifeline's " StressDown Day" national annual fundraising campaign.

Bernard McNair RN is a Director of mh@work®, and a registered nurse with qualifications in both Mental Health and General Nursing. He also holds tertiary qualifications in nursing management from the University of Technology,Sydney. A Fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses, Bernard has had a varied career holding senior clinical and administrative positions in public and private health systems in NSW.

Bernard has been active in advocacy circles for the last quarter of a century, holding senior voluntary elected positions with the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW and Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia. Bernard was a Foundation Director of the Mental Health Council of Australia- the peak body for Mental Health in Australia and a board member of Lifeline Australia.

For six years Bernard was active with beyondblue- the National Depression Initiative, being involved in "lived experience" research and the formation of blueVoices, the consumer and carer arm of beyondblue. Bernard has delivered many sessions of workplace training for both beyondblue and mental health @work, and has been published widely on both schizophrenia and depression and related disorders. Bernard is an in-demand speaker on mental health issues.  Bernard McNair is also the Executive Director of Healthcall Nursing Agency and Healthcall Consultancy Services in (Sydney).

Bernard, through mentalhealth@work (mh@work®) is a proud official ambassador for Lifeline's " StressDown Day" national annual fundraising campaign.
 

  Erica Edmands  - Director of potentialSpaces, is an experienced employment and equal opportunity/diversity lawyer. Holding a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts (eco/Industrial relations), Certificate IV Workplace Training and Assessment (one module to complete) and accredited as an organisational coach (2005), Erica is in the unique position of being able to approach and deal with issues from the legal and human resource perspective.

Erica’s expertise and interest is in: flexible work practices, their development, implementation management and measurement; design and implementation of policies and procedures; equal employment opportunity and discrimination claims; investigations into allegations of bullying, harassment and other forms of inappropriate workplace behaviour, change management; communication strategies and facilitating training. Erica has appeared on ABC national radio’s Life Matters programme and Channel 7, Radio National and the ABC in South Australia and is a highly sought after conference speaker and facilitator of learning and development programs. Erica is a Senior Consultant and Associate of mh@work® (Melbourne).

John Mendoza, Director ConNetica Consulting, Chair National Mental Health Advisory Group and Deputy Chair of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia, has held several executive positions including Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Council of Australia and Chief Executive of the Australian Sports Drug Agency. He is also presently Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health, Education and Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast and candidate for Adjunct Professor University of Sydney. John is also a Senior Consultant and Associate of mh@work® (Queensland).

His expertise in public policy development, advocacy, leadership and organisational transformation is sought by a range of clients in the public and not-for-profit sectors.

As CEO of the MHCA, John played a lead role in the development and execution of the political strategy to engage all Australian governments (Federal, states and territories) to commit to the reform of mental health services through the Council of Australian Governments.John has authored or co-authored a number of major reports and submissions to public inquiries, most notably the seminal report on mental health care in Australia, Not For Service. Prior to John’s term as Chief Executive of the Mental Health Council, he was the CEO of the Australian Sports Drug Agency, a Commonwealth Statutory Authority, from November 2000 and from February 1996, the Deputy CEO of ASDA. In these roles, John played a lead role in the Australian and international anti-doping programs leading up to the Sydney Olympics and the development of the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Anti-Doping Code.

In 2002, John was awarded the Queensland University of Technology, Vice-Chancellor’s Outstanding Alumni Award for Innovation and Excellence. He was also awarded the Faculty of Health’s 2002 Outstanding Alumni Award.

Marion Wands – has extensive experience as a senior and executive level Human Resource and Customer Service Practitioner within public and private sector organizations, specialising in designing and implementing integrated human resource initiatives that optimise workplace capability. Over the past twelve months Marion has applied this knowledge and experience to the design and establishment of the ACT Government’s Shared Services Centre as their Strategic HR Director, for the delivery of strategic HR services within Department of Urban Services, (provider of municipal services for the ACT community) and the delivery of a range of customer service improvement initiatives within Medicare Australia.

As Strategic HR Director Marion led the team through significant structural and cultural change. Critical to success of this change process has been the ability to effectively work with and motivate team leaders and staff to establish team priorities, clarify specific deliverables, design agreed team behaviours and instil a culture of providing excellent and timely customer service. Ensuring advice and support provided by Strategic HR encompassed holistic solutions, Marion was able to pave the way for sustaiErgon Energyle results. Marion has a Master of Education in Human Resource Studies and a Bachelor of Education and is a Senior Associate for mh@work® (Queensland).

Dennis Hoiberg, Director of LessonsLearnt Consulting, is a highly experienced organisational consultant with a major consulting focus in change management, having developed practical tools for clients in business planning, team effectiveness, leader development, performance management and human resource management. With over 30 years experience in helping individuals and teams develop their resilience to prosper through change events and challenges in their journey.

Dennis offers practical experience that makes him a trusted advisor to his clients. With a highly practical style, Dennis encourages clients to gain maximum benefit, personal and professional fulfillment from his experience and knowledge as he mentors individuals and teams in working through their planks of resilience to assist in their journey.

Dennis is a regular speaker in Australia and overseas on the topic of change management and organisational effectiveness. He works with senior leadership teams helping them commit to their own vision and then develop processes to cascade this vision down throughout the organisation to importantly to translate the vision to reality.  He recently project managed a national strategy to develop employment and support collaboration between two of Australian largest industry sectors.

Dennis has graduate qualifications in human resource management, organisational psychology and change management.. Lessons Learnt Consulting  also provides executive coaching and mentoring.

 Keith Mahar is a political activist, mental health advocate, professional social worker and member of the Australian Association of Social Workers. He is the creator of Mentalympians.tv, a community development media initiative described by the Mental Health Council of Australia as a" world first website and a creative approach to promoting awareness of recovery."

Keith's former corporate broadcasting career in Canada ended in 1994 when he experienced psychosis and left industry to try to change the country's broadcasting system. Before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1996, his campaign had resulted in questions being raised in Canadian parliament to the Prime Minister, made national news and turned him into a precedent-setting public interest litigant (Mahar v Rogers Cablesystems Ltd., 1995). Keith's criticism of the Canadian broadcasting system in 2008 also resulted in parliamentary debate in the country.

Keith holds degrees in business and social work.  Keith is an Associate of mh@work (Canberra)www.mentalympians.tv

Jayne Griffiths – Jayne set up the Australian office of WellKom www.wellkom.com.au when she moved to Perth from the UK.  Wellkom provides corporate wellness solutions including personal and team wellness profiles; e-learning and on-line wellness resources.  Jayne is an engaging presenter and facilitator with particular interest in wellness and resilience, communication and change management. 

Jayne is also a qualified coach with Shirlaws Coaching www.shirlawscoaching.com offering a range of coaching solutions including leadership coaching; business coaching; wellness coaching and team coaching.  Jayne is a Senior Consultant and Associate of mh@work® (Western Australia).

Paula Volpe  - Paula has worked in the mental health area while working in the pharmaceutical industry for over 15 years, including 7 years in a management role. She holds an MSc Med and is a PhD candidate researching rating scales in bipolar disorder. She has been involved in the training of medical representatives and the regulatory, clinical and medical aspects of pharmaceuticals used in the treatment of depression, schizophrenia, OCD and bipolar disorder. Paula has conducted workshops for the pharmaceutical industry as well as medical professional. She currently heads up a Medical Marketing Consultancy and is a Consultant and Associate of mh@work®, Melbourne

“There will always be challenges in life, we can either be engulfed by them or we can learn by them and rise above the situation. I have found that recognising our inner strength is an important part of dealing with mental health either as a carer or as someone who manages life with a mental health vulnerability. Our actions today shape our tomorrow.”

Petrina Casey RN MPH - Managing Director Petrina Casey Consulting. Petrina Casey Consulting is a boutique consulting firm specialising in Workplace Health and Injury Case Management. Petrina is an experienced leader in this area having worked at senior operational and strategic levels in the Corporate HR area as well as roles as an Employer Health and Safety Manager and an Insurer Case Manager. She has built a broad network of strategic partners including academic, medical and allied health professionals and can assist employers and insurers to enhance their Case Management and Return to Work capabilities and to build evidence based programs aimed at increasing employee productivity and reducing worker compensation premiums.

Petrina is regularly involved in Workers Compensation case reviews on behalf of Insurance Regulators and enjoys working with dynamic and innovative individuals and employers in improving health outcomes by designing and implementing models and strategies that increase productivity, are cost effective and proven to deliver a return on investment.

Petrina is currently a sessional lecturer at Deakin Business School specifically providing Personal Injury Industry advice as part of the MBA course in Personal Injury Management.
Petrina holds a Master in Public Health from the University of Sydney, under whose auspices she is currently completing a PhD in Medicine addressing "Determinants of Health Outcomes after Whiplash in a NSW Compensation Environment". Petrina Casey is an Associate of mh@work (Sydney)

 Christopher Holt - B Soc Sc (Hons.) is currently completing his PHD within the School of Psychology at Australian Catholic University. His main area of interest is in positive psychology: a preventative approach to mental illness that identifies strengths that allow people to flourish and live a more fulfilled life. His current research focus is on the extent to which peak or optimal experiences (Flow) at work are related to mental health. He has recently developed a unique and reliable measure to assess the Flow experience at work. To find out more about the importance of Flow or to participate in this research please visit www.psychflow.com.

Since 2004 Chris has also worked as a senior research officer within the Clinical and Health Psychology Department at Austin Health. He is responsible for managing clinical research trials that aim to improve the well-being of parents and infants.

Dr Natasha Kiso- has more than 10 years experience in personal insurance and workers compensation, combining medical qualifications, a ph.d and extensive background in injury prevention and early intervention. Natasha works closely and collaboratively with employers, insurance companies, authorities and medical providers on developing and implementing efficient injury management solutions and establishing outcome- focused heath care programs.

Whilst with CGU and IAG, Natasha has been nominated for two Injury Management Excellence Awards both for the development and implementation of a Risk Profiling, Strategic Injury Management Program and an Employers Injury Management Education Program.

Natasha's experience also includes more than 7 years in of leadership and management roles, leading teams of health management and project management experts in developing and implementing new initiatives. In 2008, Natasha's Injury Management team was the winner of the CGU Workers Compensation 2008 Customer Service Excellence Award.

Prior to working with CGU and IAG, Natasha was the Chief Medical Officer with AXA Australia for 3 years.

As a Health and Injury Management Consultant, Natasha provides consulting services in Workplace Health and Injury Management to assist organisations and insurers to enhance their injury management and return work strategies. With a focus on maximising human performance, Natasha works with clients to provide complete wholistic strategic approaches for ongoing human wellness.

Natasha offer's Consulting Services in the following areas:
• Injury prevention / safety
• Strategic medical and injury management support
• Review and inhancement of injury management and provider management systems
• Development of risk profiling and strategic injury management systems
• Development and provisions of injury management training
• Psychological injury prevention and management programs/training
• Development of health management programs.