“First do what is necessary. Then do what is possible. And before you know it you are doing the impossible." - Saint Francis
About us
What we do
Our strength lies in the unique collaboration of our members. Together, we bring a vast pool of knowledge from each of our businesses. With guidance from experts, we find, test and deliver solutions that work for our people.
Provide safe settings
We help businesses create an environment and ways of working, where everyone feels safe and supported, and able to talk about their mental health.
Empower our leaders
We share our knowledge and resources to enable business leaders to take action on mental health in their own workplaces.
Drive lasting change
We advocate for systemic change within business, supply chains and the broader community, and contribute to the shaping of public policy.
Our principles
Place people first
We recognise mental health as essential to our people’s ability to thrive in the workplace and beyond.
Walk our talk
We practice what we preach within the organisations that we lead, and we share our learnings along the way.
Tread carefully
We acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, and we take our time to do things well.
Our origins
The Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia is part of a growing global movement for better workplace mental health, which began in the UK over a decade ago with the establishment of the City Mental Health Alliance UK (CMHA UK).
A number of Australian business leaders had felt for some time that more could be done by corporate Australia to support mental health in the workplace, and decided to act on that view. They had heard of the great work of CMHA UK led by Poppy Jaman OBE, and were particularly interested in the organisation’s business-led, expert-guided approach to addressing this growing challenge.
The group reached out to other business leaders to determine their interest in forming a similar alliance in Australia. Some of the country’s largest employers were immediately drawn to the idea, and in early 2020 the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia was formally established with seed funding provided by its 15 founding members and participants.
Many of the organisations involved in the Alliance are direct competitors, yet on their commitment to workplace mental health, they are as one. They recognise that the mental wellbeing of their employees transcends market dynamics, and that working together collaboratively will give them the best chance of delivering real impact for their people.
Our global reach
CMHAA is part of a global Alliance. Since launching CMHA in the UK in 2012 – CMHA member businesses, the Board, Exec Team and mental health experts – have been boldly changing the world of work to build a healthier culture, where people can thrive. This collaborative Alliance was proven to have such a powerful impact that, following requests from businesses, local chapters in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, India, USA and Portugal were created.