25 February

This is Me says goodbye to Richard Martin

Last week Richard Martin, CEO of the Mindful Business Charter and Mental Health Lead and Partner of Byrne Dean, chaired his final steering committee as This is Me Chair.  

A former employment lawyer, Richard has supported This is Me since 2015 and took over as Chair in 2018. He has played a huge role the programme’s aim to end the stigma of mental health in the workplace by changing attitudes, dispelling myths and improving employee wellbeing for good.

He says;

“In 2025 it feels quite normal for people to share their stories, and we can easily take that for granted. Back when the campaign started it was groundbreaking. That change is in no small amount down to the too many to mention people who have been part of the campaign down the years, both in telling their stories and in creating the space for them to do so.”

As well as acting as Chair, Richard has given his time to host This is Me events across the City, steer wellbeing conversations at This is Me workshops and, most recently, shared his own mental health journey on the FRP Advisory’s Mind.Set podcast on behalf of This is Me.

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal Chief Executive Caroline Wright comments;

“I have worked with Richard since the beginning of This is Me and it has always been a great pleasure.   Richard has been a brilliant advocate for mental health generally and of course for This is Me - sharing his story, Co-Chairing and Chairing the SteerCo, Chairing workshops. Richard has been incredibly generous with his time and The Lord Mayor's Appeal can't thank him enough.”

Richard will be handing over the This is Me Chair post to Phil Canale, Senior Vice President, International Management Team at BNY and part of the This is Me initiative since 2017.

On his departure, Richard says;

“It has been a huge privilege to chair the steering committee for the last four years. It is a great comfort to be handing over to the marvellous Phil Canale. I shall still wear my green ribbon with pride and be grateful for the example the campaign gave me to tell my story.”

Listen to Richard share his story on the Mind.Set podcast here