Helen Lumb, managing director and chief financial officer at Shire Leasing and a board member at The Leasing Foundation, has long been a leading voice for mental health awareness across our industry.
In this Q&A, Helen speaks candidly about what drives her advocacy, the progress she’s seen over the years and her advice for how we can all play a role in supporting one another.
Her reflections are a reminder that everyone has mental health – sometimes good, sometimes not – and that the smallest gestures of kindness can have the biggest impact.
Read Helen’s full Q&A here:
You have been an active voice on mental health across our industry for some time now. What has been your motivation for doing this?
I have been involved in mental health for quite a few years now, since around 2016 when it really wasn’t very popular to talk about. There is always a lot focus on issues around mental health and the need to responsibly signpost without attempting to solve. While I understand that this is important, particularly from a HR perspective, I have always held a belief that we all have mental health, both good and bad and for many that situation can be transient. This is where I feel we can all play a responsible part by listening, being empathetic when someone’s mental health is poor and finding ways to encourage resilience and having preventative strategies for when life inevitably gets tough. I think it is very easy to tag being interested in and advocating for mental health as being woke, but I realised for me it is very much more real than that. Very recently (in the last 2 years), I had 2 friends attempt to take their own lives, one fortunately did not succeed but the other sadly did – I cannot imagine what it must be like to feel you have no other way, despite having desperately loving families. If just one person can make just one small gesture by being there to listen, that could change these outcomes. This must remain on our agenda with the message ‘be kind’
Across your career, what changes have you seen in how mental health is perceived and addressed?
Since those early days, first raising mental health awareness in the business, at Board Meetings and having no idea how people would respond, to seeing it on agendas, having open mornings/ time to talk chats being regularly and well attended, I feel a sense of achievement that we have been able to expand this journey. At Shire, we have introduced meditation sessions, offered be mindful online and Breathworks, all with a view to empower people to look after their own mental health. Within the Leasing Foundation it has always featured strongly and I think this has broken down stigma and led to real positive action overall.
Can you share 3 pieces of advice on how we can effectively support individuals who may be struggling with mental health issues
My advice is very simple:
- Listen
- Be present
- Be kind
The next steps will vary depending on the seriousness, the nature of the issue and what you as an individual feel is within your remit to help or alternatively signpost or engage professional help, but it has to start somewhere.
