Going From Awareness to Action: Making Mental Health Conversations Happen

A long-term sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks, TALKING MENTAL is Aaron’s platform to speak frankly to those in the know. A dedicated advocate for mental health anti-stigma campaigns, Aaron’s mission is to start meaningful and most importantly relatable conversations on the subject. 

In addition to hosting multiple live TALKING MENTAL events for the likes of Mind HK and IRIS Wellness Festival, Aaron was a participant at the 1 Voice Summit 2019 in Copenhagen and has worked with high profile corporate partners to provide informative and informal advice to employees and clients alike.

Whilst helping himself to understand his own anxiety, he hopes it will encourage anyone who has been affected to start TALKING MENTAL. 

Mellener joined Northern in August 2017 and is currently responsible for the design and delivery of the DEI strategy for India.

Mellener holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from University of Westminster United Kingdom and a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from the University of Bangalore India. She started her career in July 2000 and spent eight years with Infosys Technologies Limited working in different HR functions both in India and the United Kingdom.

She joined the AXA Group in 2008 as a HR Business partner. In 2012, she transitioned into a full time D&I Program manager role for the AXA Group globally in Paris and India. In this role she was responsible for setting up a global D&I community and driving different D&I programs across regions and in 2016, she took on the additional responsibility to support the D&I strategy for AXA in Asia.

Recognised as a thought leader in the industry, Mellener is often invited to speak at external D&I events and conferences including the UN Women Gender Focal point Meeting in Geneva in 2018.

She has been on the taskforce for the Community Business DIAN India 2018 D&I DeliverableDelivering a benchmark for D&I in India and is currently on the taskforce for the 2020 deliverable of launching the This is Me Mental health campaign in India.

She has been a guest faculty member for the Certified Diversity Professional Program in India. She has also contributed to several pieces of research in the space of Diversity and Inclusion. Mellener’s work in D&I has been recognized by way of several industry accolades including the Global Leadership Diversity Award by the World HRD Congress 2017, one of the finalists for the 2018 Asia D&I Champion of Change award by Community Business Asia and Winner of the 2019 India D&I Champion of Change award by Community business.

Mellener has recently won the 2020 HER RISING awards by JobforHer India under the Women in HR category as well as the Best D&I Head 2020 by the Women in Leadership Forum of Asia. At Northern Trust, Mellener is a recipient of two Chairman’s Awards for excellence in the Design and Execution of the D&I Strategy for India.

She is also one of the expert panelists for reviewing the 2021 Edition of global D&I benchmarks for the Centre for Talent and Inclusion USA. Pursuing a passion, Mellener has a keen interest in mental health and mindfulness.

She is a certified mental health first aider by MHFA England and MHFA India and is responsible for the design and execution of the mental health strategy for Northern in India. NTAC:3NS-20 NTAC:3NS-20 She has mentored and advised many women in their careers and is a Proud Ally for inclusion.

She is honored to be selected to be a mentor for the 2020 LEAD LIKE A GIRL Global Fellowship program run by Shenomics. She is delighted and honored to be invited to be a Global D&I advisory board member by the Future Talent Council for 2020 and beyond.

Sakshi is the Senior Manager, Employee Wellbeing, based in Hong Kong.

She has been working in the social impact sector for the past decade, overseeing project management, stakeholder engagement and strategy in previous roles. Sakshi has experience working with several MNC's and SME's across the APAC region. In her earlier role at Community Business, she was mainly responsible for developing, designing and delivering content-rich and engaging DIAN meetings. Her qualification as a Mental Health Professional has greatly influenced her interest in advocating for the inclusion of diverse groups, including speaking at academic conferences on mental health challenges unique to ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.

In addition to leading the Employee Wellbeing Programmes, Sakshi partners with corporate clients to develop training modules and workshops to facilitate conversations around mental health challenges. Specialising in developing coping skills to cope with burnout, anxiety, stress management and workplace performance issues.

Graduated from Monash University, Sakshi holds a Masters degree of Arts in Counselling and Applied Psychology. She is fluent in English.

- Providing online and in-person counselling and emotional support services.
- Confide In believes in guidance, growth, and groundedness.
- Over 7 years of extensive experience working with women and vulnerable groups, including refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers, trafficking victims.
- Advocate for community mental health awareness.
- Master of Counselling, MSc Clinical & Health Psychology, BSc Applied Psychology Full Member of The Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association Ltd. Graduate Member of The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology