In 2015 Mark Pigou became acutely aware of the impact of mental illness. Not only did the experience shake Mark and his family to the core, it fundamentally changed his perspective; inspiring him to draw on the networks he has built over the course of many years in business media, to help raise awareness of mental health in the workplace.
Digging deeper, Mark realised that we are at the beginning of a global mental health revolution. Whilst understanding that mental health is an issue that transcends generations, he could see that embedding positive and preventative approaches into the workplace, with the next generation of leaders, is the key to changing attitudes for good.
So, it made perfect sense to partner with his old friend and business associate Simon Berger, co-founder of FUTR (formerly Millennial 20/20). This partnership brings Simon’s extensive media connections to the agenda. It also brings fresh perspectives to the conversation, both from influential leaders in established industries and bold disruptors who are setting the benchmark for a new corporate culture.
The scene was set and the Mad World Summit was created. Mad stands for Make ADifference. Our mission: to eradicate stigma and usher a new era of mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing into the workplace.
Feedback to the Mad World Summits in 2018 and 2019 has been overwhelmingly positive. We continue to grow from strength to strength.
Business leaders are in a unique position to drive systemic change. However, many are struggling to put in place strategies that will have a sustainable impact across their organisation. We meet the pressing need for an event that brings together teams of representatives from different industries to move beyond talk to action and implement practical solutions that will have a lasting impact.
The next chapter: going global
Building on the phenomenal success of our UK based event, in 2020 we are launching the Make A Difference US Summit in New York and the Make A Difference Asia Summit in Singapore.
The conversation is at different stages in different parts of the world, so each agenda will be adapted accordingly. Yet, despite regional differences there are also universal truths:
In a workplace that is evolving faster than ever before, the need to create inclusive workplaces that support mental health and wellbeing is increasingly a top priority for business leaders
A proactive approach to caring for the body and the mind benefits everyone. It not only makes sense on a human level – poor mental health ultimately costs employers billions in productivity and related expenses.
With today’s and tomorrow’s top talent demanding better support in the workplace, employers must be prepared to redefine workplace culture and prioritise wellbeing.
Wherever you are in the world, and wherever you are on this journey, we are committed to helping you find the insights, inspiration and contacts you need to make a difference.
Mark spent over a decade in the express courier industry running companies in both London and New York. He sold his courier business in 1998 and took his young family to live in Portugal and then France where he first ventured into the trade show and conference events industry. He founded Internet Retailing Events and Media in 2002 and sold the events side of the business to Clarion Events in 2015. He continues to run Internet Retailing Media Services Ltd with his business partners Ian Jindal and SJP Business Media.
His latest project is Mad World, a idea born out of deeply personal experiences dealing with anxiety, depression and suicidality in his own family and a desire to do something to accelerate the conversation and achieve real progress on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Simon Berger
Simon has been working in the events and exhibitions industry for over 30 years, launching multiple event portfolios in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Simon is a serial investor in creative people and technologies over the past 10 years. He continues to both mentor and invest in innovative and disruptive entrepreneurs and lends his support to multiple charitable organisations.
Simon is also a Founding Partner of Millennial 20/20, Christmas In July and owner of IM2 Events, renowned exhibition and conference organisers specialising in creative events for the business to business sector. Simon's ultimate goal is to ensure that 'entrepreneurialism' is made a compulsory part of the global education curriculum to ensure that innovation and disruption sustainably evolves long into the future.
Claire Farrow
Claire has been working in the field of business to business events for 20 years, specialising in the research and development of conference content. In that time she has successfully launched events across a range of topics; working with some of the world's leading publishers, including The New York Times, Centaur, Reed and Emap. Claire is passionate about bringing great content to life and connecting diverse audiences to reach shared goals. She enjoys the flexibility of being freelance and the daily company of Lyla, her black Labrador.
Heather Kelly
Heather started her career as a photographer and journalist before spending 10 years as a senior manager in the insurance industry in her native California. After the life-changing experience at age 30 of losing her mother to colon cancer she made a pivotal decision to seek work more aligned with her sense of purpose. She moved to the UK where she completed her master's studies and left her successful corporate career.
Heather spent four years working for the UK's largest mental health not-for-profit, Mind. There she led the development and operation of the Workplace Wellbeing Index, the UK's only benchmark of best policy and practice in workplace mental health. She and her team supported over one hundred UK employers in making the mental health of their staff a business priority.
She's also worked as Head of Development and Head of Mental Health Communications for the UK workplace mental health conference, This Can Happen and she is the founder of Aura Wellbeing, a consultancy which provides workplace wellness strategy, coaching and training services to employers in Europe and the US.
She holds a BA in English Literature and Women's Studies from San Diego State University, an MSc in Sustainability and Responsible Business Practice from Ashridge/Hult International Business School, Integrative Health Coaching Certification through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and she's done extensive training in workplace mental health. In her spare time Heather teaches photography to teens as part of a charity projects in London and Spain, she's an avid runner and experimental chef for recipes promoting healthy minds.
Rupa Ganatra Popat
Rupa is the Founding Partner of Millennial 20/20 the world's first business summit series looking at the future of nextgen commerce in Singapore, New York and London. The Summits focus at a unique time in industry, where large and small businesses are dealing with a more complex and ever-evolving consumer that requires them to think of innovation, disruption and technology as key components of their future.
Rupa has also invested in several start-up businesses including Righteous Salad and Escape the City and won several awards including Management Today and the Sunday Times 35 under 35 Women in the UK and Top 100 in UK Tech, as well as being the Founding Board Member of the UK Guild of Entrepreneurs, the chair of the HH Women Entrepreneurs and Board Director at the Ashraya Initiative for Children charity since 2008, and a founding member of Christmas In July festival.
Ian Jindal
Ian Jindal is a consultant, publisher and advisor in eCommerce and multichannel retail. Ian cofounded and is Editor in Chief of InternetRetailing, providing insight and research for Europe's etailers and multichannel retailers (www.internetretailing.net).
Ian co-founded RetailX, researching performance in multichannel retail, brands and vendors. In 2015 InternetRetailing launched the UK Top500 ranking of retailers (IRUK) and in 2016 the first performance-based ranking of European's retailers, (www.internetretailing.net/iruk) and (www.internetretailing.net/ireu)
Ian's retail clients include Selfridges, House of Fraser, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Asda, Couturelab, Waitrose, De Bijenkorf, Kering, Disney, IKEA and Walgreens Boots Alliance. Previously Ian was Group eCommerce Director at Littlewoods Shop Direct, and Head of Online Operations at the BBC. Ian founded the European eCommerce Forum, is an Advisor to eCommerce Europe and authored the UK's first MSc in Internet Retailing.
Fiona started her career at Sotheby’s where she spent 6 years overseeing operations for 5 departments. After a move to Hong Kong she started working at the International Herald Tribune, organizing conferences around the region. On her return to London she resumed project management of numerous conferences with the International Herald Tribune on subjects such as Luxury and Oil. She now consults on projects and delivers events in wide-ranging sectors for diverse clients which include The New York Times, Summerhouse Media and Make a Difference Events.
Tony Longhurst
Tony has a passion for developing sustainable business solutions that have a positive impact on businesses, their employees and our planet. Workplace wellbeing is integral to this. Tony has been providing business development, company transformation, sustainability, operations, and growth consulting and expertise for the past 15-years for innovative, forward-thinking companies, in an array of industries, ranging from hospitality to high performance automotive.
Cheryl Liew
Cheryl Liew, founder of Lifeworkz a firm based headquartered in Asia which partners C-suite to evolve relevant, inclusive and high performing workplaces since 2006 shaping the future of work and the future of Asia. This is done by focusing transformation through three niche areas --- Contemporary Organisations, Culture, Gender & Generations Inclusion and High Performance without Burnout. Whether working with multi-national corporations in China and India, or consulting with retail brands and government agencies in Indonesia or Australia, the vision of LifeWorkz remains the same. As a Keynote speaker, author and executive high performance coach, she is passionate in inspiring and empowering individuals to thrive without compromising the lifestyle they desire and certainly without burnout.
