Introducing our Interim Chief Executive

This is my first week as interim Chief Executive at Money and Mental Health, after we waved the wonderful Helen Undy off on maternity leave last Friday. I’m absolutely thrilled to be stepping up to lead this dynamic charity after three and a half years running our research and policy work. 

I’m most excited about leading the team through the plans we have made for 2020. We have new research projects planned across all three of our goals, building on the ideas and experience of our 5,000-person (as of April 2021) strong Research Community. We’ll be taking a detailed look at how income differs for people living with mental health problems, examining issues in the online economy around mental health, and working to make sure debt advice is accessible to people who need it. 

Beyond new research, we’ll also be finishing the pilot of our Mental Health Accessible Standards with Lloyds Bank, and looking for new essential services providers to work with. Through 2020, I’m hopeful this innovative programme will not just reward firms who are already offering services which meet the needs of customers living with mental health problems, but also challenge them to go further to support customers who are struggling. Finally, our new programme of work engaging with financial services firms to tackle gambling related harm will also see us working in new ways to bring people together and identify best practice. 

Even though I’ve been at Money and Mental Health since the charity’s early days, the first week in a new role is always a bit daunting. Luckily, I’m reassured by knowing I have an incredible team around me. From our top-notch external affairs team running powerful campaigns, to our brilliant in-house researchers constantly breaking new ground, our team is a joy to work with. I’ve also got all the help I could need to keep the organisation on track in our formidable team of dedicated trustees, and the marvellous Samantha who keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Add in our talented, diverse Advisory Board, and friends from across the mental health, money advice, and essential services sectors and I know I have plenty of people to turn to for help and advice.

One of Money and Mental Health’s greatest strengths is that our team extends far beyond the office. Our Research Community of experts by experience and our Professional Network of people working across financial services, advice, mental health, social care and beyond, help us understand where and why people experiencing mental health problems are facing financial difficulties, and find specific, practical solutions. 

These generous people giving their time to support our work, whether it’s through completing surveys or taking part in focus groups to inform our research, supporting our campaigns or telling us about new issues we should look into, help us achieve real impact and improve lives. 

If you’d like to help too, we’d love for you to join the Research Community or Professional Network here. Or, if you’d rather just keep up to date with our progress on those ambitious plans, you can join our mailing list here.