It is a well-known fact that your employees' mental health will directly impact their physical wellbeing and workplace performance. It is estimated that mental health support can save UK businesses up to £8 billion per year, due to lower employee turnover and fewer days off sick. Hiring a mental health speaker is an investment that can produce staggering results. In a survey, it was found that if a business of 500 employees invested £40,000 in their mental health, through workshops and seminars, they would see a net return of £347,722 in savings.

Source: Mental Health Foundation

When is World Mental Health Day 2026?

World Mental Health Day will take place on the 10th of October 2026. 

In 2025, the theme of World Mental Health Day was "It Is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace", an important call to action for business leaders across the world. 

Source: Health in Mind

Popular Speakers for World Mental Health Day 2026:

The perfect way to honour World Mental Health Day is to hire a wellbeing speaker to equip your employees with the skills needed to manage their mental wellbeing. In the workplace, which is often fast-paced and challenging, investing in your team's mental resilience will reduce the risk of burnout.

Here at Champions Speakers, we have the pleasure of working with emotive and powerful mental health speakers year-round. Having orchestrated the hiring of mental health speakers for countless events, our expert Director of Sales, Sophia Reed, has cast her official judgment following cross-examination of vetted feedback from 302 mental health-themed events. Take a look at Sophia's exclusive evaluation of the 10+ Popular Keynote Speakers for World Mental Health Day, below:

Top World Mental Health Day Speakers to Hire:

• Dr Alex George
• Ruby Wax
• Simon Weston
• Kelly Holmes
• Katie Piper
• Jonny Wilkinson
• Martine Wright
• Ollie Ollerton
• Samantha Clarke
• Jonny & Neil
• Nigel Owens
• Taz Thornton

This World Mental Health Day book one of the empowering speakers featured below - we have even included some of our client feedback so you can read why these speakers are so empowering! 

Dr Alex George | 10 Downing Street's Youth Mental Health Ambassador

Testimonial from L'Oreal:

"We were eager to work with Dr Alex after developing our Emotional Pillar within Consumer Experience for L’Oreal Professional Products Division. Alex is a great figure, doing some amazing things to raise awareness and amplify the topic of Mental Health and he did not disappoint. He inspired the delegates and got people thinking about the important topic. He was on time for every meeting and even when we made a last-minute date and time change he accepted and adapted without any complaints. Alex was inspiring, professional and relatable throughout and we will definitely be looking to work with him again. Keep up the fabulous work Alex!"

Ruby Wax | Ambassador for SANE & MIND

Testimonial from HSBC:

“Ruby Wax spoke with passion, amazing depth of knowledge and, of course, great humour about the pressures and pitfalls of the human mind. She was incredibly well-received by all who attended. I would definitely recommend Ruby for any event where mindfulness and mental health are a priority.”

Simon Weston | Bluff Cove Air Bomb Attack Survivor 

Testimonial from Walsall and District Samaritans: 

"I just wanted to let you know that the event last night went very well. Everyone was captivated by Simon, who gave an excellent presentation. The Q and A session was very good and enjoyed by the audience, and could have gone on for longer" 

Kelly Holmes | Olympic & Commonwealth Gold Medallist 

Testimonial from Indeed:

"Kelly was fantastic. We enjoyed having her on stage and the audience were clearly engaged - she covered a wide variety of topics in a relatable way. I have heard nothing but positive feedback from attendees. The crowd were particularly interested in her charitable endeavours. She was both humble and inspiring."

Katie Piper | Acid Attack Survivor & Wellbeing Campaigner 

Testimonial from Penna:

"I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Katie. She spoke with inspiration, authenticity, truth, and confidence. Her story is undeniably unbelievable and her positivity and words of wisdom will stay with me for my entire life. I’ve tried to think of my favourite moment, but honestly I don’t have one as it was all outstanding."

Jonny Wilkinson | Star of the 2003 England Rugby World Cup Win

Quote from Jonny:

"When you're obsessive, like me, searching for something unattainable can become unhealthy ... it's like falling through the air and grabbing at the clouds."

Martine Wright | 7/7 Bombing Survivor & Paralympian 

Testimonial from J.P Morgan:

"It was brilliant, the feedback we have had already is overwhelmingly positive! so please do forward onto Martine with our thanks, and the message that she has made a huge impact on so many of us!"

Ollie Ollerton | Former UK SAS Soldier 

Testimonial from the Royal Air Force:

"I just wanted to pass on my thanks to you and Ollie for yesterday’s webinar. To say it was well-received is an understatement! I truly believe the discussion resonated with the attendees, indeed in some cases I’ve been contacted to confirm this. Ollie – It is clear you are extremely passionate about what you do and this was not lost on our delegates yesterday. Thank you! An excellent brief and hugely inspiring. I hope we can work together again in the future."

Samantha Clarke | Happiness & Change Consultant

Testimonial from Shopify:

"It was very obvious that Samantha loves what she does and cares about helping people. She genuinely cared about the problem we were having on our team and thought very critically about what could be done to help solve it. We appreciate Samantha’s hard work and dedication. She is a very talented woman and I, and my team, enjoyed working with her" 

Jonny Benjamin & Neil Laybourn | Founders of 'Beyond' Following Suicide Intervention

Testimonial from Muller:

"I would probably say that it was one of the most powerful and inspiring mental health talks I have ever seen. You can put posters up, you can tell people where to go for help but this event delivered something so impactful that I truly think it has made a big difference. Jonny and Neil were absolutely amazing."

Nigel Owens | Record-Holding Rugby Union Referee, Stonewall Gay Sports Personality of the Year

Testimonial from Gilead:

"On behalf of all the staff at Gilead, we would like to thank you for such an inspiring webinar today. The messages we have received have been overwhelming. We had just over 200 on the call (some were watching from a large screen in our meeting room). Thank you so much for your time and I wish you all the best in the future."

Taz Thornton | The UK’s Best Female Coach & Founder of #UnleashYourAwesome

Testimonial from Midcounties Co-Operatives:

“The Pink Power House of public speaking is Taz Thornton, always engaging on tough topics in business and life. Taz will hold your attention and give you valuable life lessons and the inspiration to change. I would highly recommend for you to see Taz speak; I have sat through 14 different speakers in the last 28 years of business and she’s the only one I have chosen to pay and see more than 3 times in 12 months.”

5 Reasons to Book a Mental Health Speaker

Ahead of World Mental Health Day, we have documented the five key reasons to hire a wellbeing speaker for your internal corporate event. 

1. To Educate Management

Mental health support starts from the top down in business, as senior members must express empathy and understanding when their employees open up about their emotional battles. Wellbeing experts teach managers how to best support their staff while maintaining a professional working relationship.

Including regular one-to-ones and mental health awareness training, these speakers offer a wide range of strategies for creating a judgement-free environment. By booking a mental health speaker, you are investing in the quality of your management team.

2. To Promote Understanding & Acceptance

Presenteeism, a loss of productivity due to employees working while ill, is a common side effect of mental health issues in the workplace. Mental health speakers promote the power of understanding, counter presenteeism and open positive discussion about your employees’ struggles.

It can be difficult to support one another during our darkest times, to know the correct advice to give and help to offer. These insightful speakers educate attendees, teaching them how to care for one another’s emotional wellbeing through understanding and acceptance.

3. To Improve Performance

Mental health issues in the workplace can directly impact employees’ productivity and performance, and therefore the business’ profits. Wellbeing experts share their top tips for maintaining self-motivation and assuredness in the face of personal hardships, to safeguard a business’ prospects and improve its employees’ mental health.

Encouraging staff to leave their workplace stresses at the office will avoid burnout, improve performance, and increase motivation. These speakers teach audiences how to separate their personal life from their professional life, to create a valuable divide that ensures a solid work/life balance.

4. To Encourage Open Conversation

Whether it is a death in the family or financial struggles, several life factors can contribute to mental health issues. Emotional wellbeing speakers discuss the importance of encouraging honest conversation between management and their staff, to make allowances for such personal hardships.

For your employees to approach you with their own battles, you must destigmatise mental health issues in the workplace. A lack of communication can often lead to presenteeism, so mental health speakers teach attendees how to encourage open, judgment-free communication with their colleagues.

5. To Reduce Turnover

It is within a business's best interests to retain high-performing, talented staff. However, a lack of mental health support in the workplace can cause employees to leave their roles for greener pastures, causing a costly turnover.

Booking a mental health speaker will send a clear message to your staff, telling them you care about their emotional wellbeing. This is a key workplace benefit in the 21st century that can make your company stand out on the job market and retain talented employees.

Hire a Mental Health Speaker

To book one of our mental health and wellbeing speakers to discuss the importance of mental health in the workplace, simply complete our online booking form or call us on 0207 1010 553.

This exclusive article on the 10+ Popular Keynote Speakers for World Mental Health Day was written by Sophia Hayes.

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