In this presentation, Heather Cook explores the vital role employers can and must play in advancing preventative mental health care. As global health systems face mounting pressure, it’s time for nations to look beyond clinical services and recognise workplaces as essential platforms for early intervention, accessibility and inclusion.

Heather will reflect on how shifting left - toward earlier, evidence-based, and digitally enabled prevention - must include employers as frontline contributors to health outcomes. With ageing populations, escalating mental health challenges among younger workers, and limited public resources, the case for embedding digital mental health solutions into employment settings has never been stronger.

Key themes will include:

The global imperative to shift from reactive to preventative models of care  
Digital therapeutics and e-mental health tools as accessible, scalable bridges to care - especially for underserved workforces  
Employers as enablers of inclusion, equity and sustained mental wellbeing through evidence-based investment  
The importance of collaboration between innovators, policymakers and employers to fund and embed digital mental health support  
The need for robust evaluation frameworks to build trust and drive adoption at scale  

Heather will also discuss how her work at Wellmind Health is helping to demonstrate the return on investment that comes from addressing health early - both for employees and for employers navigating challenging financial climates.

This session makes the case for a new kind of public-private collaboration.  One where mental health is not just supported in the clinic but championed in the workplace.