Champions

Lucinda Brogden AM
Carer Advocate

Lucy has a strong commitment to helping others and building stronger communities. She takes an evidence-based approach to problem solving and social investment.

Chez Curnow
Mental Health & AOD Manager
Suicide Prevention & Low Intensity Strategies

Chez is a passionate advocate for equity in access and encouraging help-seeking behaviours in regional and rural communities.

Maria Cassaniti
Centre Manager
NSW Transcultural Mental Health Centre

Maria’s key area of interest is in the development of mental health services that promote access and equity of service provision and that respond to the needs of culturally diverse populations.

Bronwen Edwards
CEO
Roses in the Ocean

Bronwen is the Founder and CEO of Roses in the Ocean, a leading national lived experience organisation. She is a key advocate for the integration and partnership with people with lived experience of suicide in all aspects of suicide prevention including service design and delivery, peer workforce, strategy & policy development and implementation, and research.

Mark Leopold
Head of Growth and Innovation
Transitioning Well

With leadership experience across a broad range of companies, Mark understands that effective, visible action on mental health and wellbeing improves organisational performance. He is a collaborative, positive leader and a passionate advocate for better mental health. Mark openly shares his lived experience to help others to achieve their best possible mental health.

Dr Zac Seidler
Director of Mental Health Training
Movember

Dr. Zac Seidler is a Clinical Psychologist, the Director of Mental Health Training at Movember and a Senior Research Fellow with Orygen at The University of Melbourne. Zac has devoted several years to the goal of reducing the staggering male suicide rate, treating and researching men’s mental health with over 50 peer-reviewed articles published.

Clare Kinsella
Director, Communications and Advocacy
Suicide Prevention Australia

A passionate and experienced mental health and wellbeing advocate, Clare leads the communication strategy at the national peak body, Suicide Prevention Australia. Her experience spans across public health campaigns, advocacy and stakeholder engagement. The use of safe language, stigma reduction and advocating for responsible media reporting around suicide and mental ill health is an important part of her work.

Mental Health Australia

Christopher Rainbow
Manager, Digital Communities and Groups, SANE Australia

Christopher has over 15 years experience working in the mental health sector in both Australia and New Zealand. An experienced and person-centered researcher in the field of mental health and suicide prevention, he has provided leadership in effective communication, collaboration and messaging about suicide. He has also demonstrated expertise in digital service management, peer support and evaluation, leading the development of the Beyond Now safety planning app, interactive video support groups and online peer support forums for SANE and Beyond Blue.

Professor Nicholas Procter
Chair Mental Health Nursing
University of South Australia

Professor Procter is Chair: Mental Health Nursing and leader of UniSA’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Research and Education Group. He has longstanding interest in mental health and suicide prevention and has published widely in these areas. People and their lived and living experience of mental distress, plus the people who support them, are central in his work. In addition to many local and national activities Professor Procter is Australia's National Representative to the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) to 2027.

Samuel Hockey
Youth and lived experience researcher
University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre

Samuel endeavours to always amplify the voice of real people's experiences in mental health to change healthcare systematically. He is invested in the change occurring respectfully and with the knowledge of who the change serves in front of mind.

Rebecca Wood
Marketing Manager
R U OK?

Rebecca Wood is the Marketing Manager at R U OK? and is passionate about creating integrated campaigns to educate, empower and inspire meaningful conversations, particularly to targeted and vulnerable population groups. She has over 20 years’ experience across corporate, tertiary and not-for profit sectors and is a casual lecturer in Marketing at Western Sydney University and Macquarie University.

David Burroughs
Chief Mental Health Officer
Westpac

David has worked as a psychologist across community, military and workplace mental health for over 20 years. His speciality is in the design, implementation and evaluation of strategies and initiatives to support positive workplace mental health and proactively manage mental ill-health. Outside of Westpac, Dave is the founder of Australian Psychological Services supporting the Psychological Health & Safety of multiple organisations here in Australia and abroad. Dave has a passion for evidence-based practice the practical application of psychological research.

Jemma Collova
Research Fellow
The Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention - The University of Western Australia

Jemma has Italian heritage, and was born and raised on Whadjuk Noongar Country, in Perth. Jemma completed her PhD in Psychology at UWA, and is now working as a postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention, led by Professor Pat Dudgeon. Jemma is passionate about supporting Indigenous-led approaches to suicide prevention, and collaborative research which supports and empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Connie Digolis
CEO
Mental Health Council of Tasmania

With an extensive background in population and preventative health, community sector management, health promotion and policy, Connie is a passionate advocate for the power of collective impact.
Connie believes that with the right approach, investment, and system design, we can create a mental health system that is truly person-centered, integrated and provides a preventive model of care that supports the best mental health outcomes for all.

Erin Halligan
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Director
LGBTIQ+ Australia

Darren Black
CEO
Superfriend