Biography
Geoff’s background in HR, marketing, communications and sustainability is impeccable. During his 25 years with Unilever (with a turnover of £50 billion, 170,000 employees in 90 countries around the world), his experience has been truly global, working across Africa, Middle-East, Turkey, Asia, Europe and the Americas. His HR experience has spanned leadership and talent development, organisation change, capability development with particular reference to marketing and business transformation with purpose at its core.
Geoff’s personal experience of depression
In 2008, Geoff was diagnosed with anxiety fuelled depression, recovery from which led him to discover a new personal purpose. In 2014, he left his role with Unilever to devote his time, energy and expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace.
As a mental health speaker, Geoff speaks about the opportunity to create a new form of capitalism, one that is based on care and compassion. In this perspective, mental health sits alongside the sustainability agenda as core pillars of the new form or capitalism. Neither should require a ‘business case’, they are simply the right thing to do, and both our environment and our peoples’ energy are finite resources and need careful stewardship.
One of the most commanding, engaging speakers you’ll ever encounter, today Geoff is inspiring and provoking organisations all around the world to put purpose at the centre of everything they do and to challenge the stigma of mental health in the workplace.