10 Oct
2019

World Mental Health Day puts the spotlight on new ABTA seminar

Today is World Mental Health Day and this is a timely reminder to all businesses of the importance of mental health for everyone in the workplace. Each year mental health issues affect one in four adults and it will almost certainly affect us or someone close to us at some stage of our life. Mental health issues result in millions of lost working days each year, plus reduced productivity, and effective mental health and wellbeing practises make sound business sense as well as representing a moral duty of care towards employees. 

To aid the industry in this incredibly important area, ABTA has launched its inaugural Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace seminar, which will take place in London on 15 November. Attendees will hear practical insights from leading experts in the travel industry as well as the wider world of mental health and wellbeing. 

The day will be moderated by Mind’s Head of Workplace Wellbeing, Emma Mamo, who will be joined by speakers from ABTA, Royal Caribbean, the Mental Health Foundation, Heathrow Travel Care, ABTA LifeLine, award winning mental health campaigners Neil Laybourn and Jonny Benjamin MBE, and many more.

People from travel businesses of all sizes will benefit from attending the event, directors, CEOs, senior managers and team leaders, human resources, legal, occupational health and wellbeing, employee engagement and health and safety.

Victoria Bacon, ABTA Director of Brand and Business Development, said: “Good mental health and wellbeing are essential for a happy and fulfilled life, but they can often be an overlooked aspect of a company’s working practices. The travel industry can present a unique set of challenges with workforces often scattered throughout many destinations, working unusual hours and shift patterns. We also live in an increasingly volatile world and travel industry staff are at the frontline in providing help and support in some incredibly stressful situations. The ABTA Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace seminar will ensure that you know how to provide the appropriate support and help that your staff need and deserve.”

Full list of speakers
•    Moderator: Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing, Mind
•    Kelly Ashby, Wellbeing and Ability Employee Resource Group Lead, Royal Caribbean
•    Georgina Hollingsworth, Mental Health Social Work Advisor, Heathrow Travel Care and Specialist Advisor, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
•    Joanne Muccio, Trauma Care Consultant, Centre for Crisis Psychology (CCP) 
•    Heather Pennock, Destinations Manager – Health, Safety, Crisis & Operations, ABTA
•    James Williams, Partner, Hill Dickinson
•    Sarah Barnes, Senior Associate, Hill Dickinson
•    Dr Rachel Glynn-Williams, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Seaways Psychology Services, a division of Glynn-Williams & Associates
•    Trudie Clements, Director, ABTA LifeLine
•    Emily Wilson, Graduate on Management Programme and Mental Health Champion, Hays Travel 
•    John Dean, Executive Director, Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing
•    Dr. Antonis Kousoulis, Director of Research, Policy and Programmes, Mental Health Foundation
•    Neil Laybourn, Organisational Wellbeing Advisor 
•    Jonny Benjamin MBE, Mental Health Campaigner
•    Dr Kate Bunyan, Medical Doctor and Health Solutions Specialist
•    Emily West, People Support and Wellbeing Co-ordinator, Flight Centre Travel Group
•    Julian Walker, Vice President Marketing Communications & PR, CWT

Date and venue: 15 November 2019, Hill Dickinson, The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EW

ABTA Member/ABTA Partner rate – £235 plus VAT 
Non-Member rate – £355 plus VAT 

To book your place at the event go to abta.com/abtaevents.

For further information, contact:
Sean Tipton Media Relations Manager on 020 3117 0513 press@abta.co.uk

Out of Hours: contact the duty press officer 020 3693 0183
Web: www.abta.com
Twitter: @ABTAtravel

Notes to editors
ABTA has been a trusted travel brand for over 65 years. Our purpose is to help our Members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence. 
The ABTA brand stands for support, protection and expertise. This means consumers have confidence in ABTA and a strong trust in ABTA Members. These qualities are core to us as they ensure that holidaymakers remain confident in the holiday products that they buy from our Members. 

We help our Members and their customers navigate through today's changing travel landscape by raising standards in the industry; offering schemes of financial protection; providing an independent complaints resolution service should something go wrong; giving guidance on issues from sustainability to health and safety and by presenting a united voice to government to ensure the industry and the public get a fair deal.

ABTA has more than 4,300 travel brands in Membership, providing a wide range of leisure and business travel services, with a combined annual UK turnover of £39 billion. For more details about what we do, what being an ABTA Member means and how we help the British public travel with confidence visit www.abta.com.