ICAS

Quicklinks

  1. About Us

    Find out about who we are and what we do here at ICAS.

  2. Find a CA

    Search our directory of individual CAs and Member organisations by name, location and professional criteria.

  3. CA Magazine

    View the latest issues of the dedicated magazine for ICAS Chartered Accountants.

  4. Contact Us

    Get in touch with ICAS by phone, email or post, with dedicated contacts for Members, Students and firms.

Login
  • Annual renewal
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Find a CA
  • Advantage
  1. About us
    1. Governance
    2. ICAS strategy 2030
  2. Members
    1. Become a member
    2. Newly qualified
    3. Manage my membership
    4. Benefits of membership
    5. Career support
    6. Mentoring
    7. CA Wellbeing
    8. More for Members
    9. Area networks
    10. International communities
    11. Get involved
    12. Top Young CAs
    13. Career breaks
    14. ICAS podcast
    15. Newly admitted members 2023
  3. CA Students
    1. Student information
    2. Student resources
    3. Learning requirements
    4. Learning updates
    5. Learning blog
    6. Totum Pro | Student discount card
    7. CA Student wellbeing
  4. Become a CA
    1. How to become a CA
    2. Routes to becoming a CA
    3. Find a training agreement
    4. Why become a CA
    5. The CA qualification
    6. Accredited qualifications and exemptions
  5. Employers
    1. Train a Chartered Accountant
    2. Resources for Authorised Training Offices
    3. Professional entry
    4. Government-funded apprenticeships
    5. Learning redefined
  6. Find a CA
  7. ICAS events
    1. CA Summit
    2. Digital Practice Conference 2023
  8. CA magazine
  9. Professional resources
    1. Anti-money laundering
    2. Audit and assurance
    3. Brexit
    4. Business and governance
    5. Charities
    6. Coronavirus
    7. Corporate and financial reporting
    8. Cyber security
    9. Ethics
    10. Insolvency
    11. ICAS Research
    12. Pensions
    13. Practice
    14. Public sector
    15. Sustainability
    16. Tax
    17. Vulnerable persons toolkit
    18. EDI Toolkit
    19. Wellbeing Toolkit
    20. Trust in Chartered Accountants
    21. Research highlights trust
  10. CPD - professional development
    1. CPD - Everything you need to know
    2. CPD courses and qualifications
    3. CPD news and updates
    4. CPD support and advice
    5. Career support
  11. Regulation
    1. Complaints and sanctions
    2. Regulatory authorisations
    3. Guidance and help sheets
    4. Regulatory monitoring
    5. ICAS regulatory functions report 2022
    6. Regulation Strategy
    7. ICAS Regulation News
  12. CA jobs
    1. Rutherford Cross | Specialists in Finance Recruitment
    2. Resources for your job search
    3. Advertise with CA jobs
    4. Hays | A Trusted ICAS CA Jobs Partner
    5. Azets | What's your ambition?
    6. Hutcheon Mearns | Transforming finance
  13. Work at ICAS
    1. Business centres
    2. Meet our team
    3. Benefits
    4. Vacancies
    5. Imagine your career at ICAS
  14. Contact us
    1. Technical and regulation queries
    2. ICAS logo request

Industry Insights with ICAS: mental health and wellbeing as a strategic priority

  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)
By ICAS

19 January 2022

Key ICAS figures share insights on the role leaders can play and the importance of treating staff wellbeing as a strategic business priority. Learn more and watch the video.

The Marketing Society recently held a special edition webinar as part of its Industry Insights programme.

The event was chaired by Janice Hutchinson, Director – Marketing, ICAS, and featured ICAS Member, Jonny Jacobs CA, Finance Director, Starbucks, and Geoff McDonald, Executive Director, Minds@Work.

The three shared insights from their professional and personal experiences as they outlined the role of leaders in promoting mental health and wellbeing as a strategic driver.

The importance of leadership buy-in

Janice shared her experience of helping to devise the ICAS Mental Fitness Strategy and leading the team that’s responsible for its delivery. She outlined, from her own perspective, some of what motivated ICAS towards establishing its strategy:

“I’ve seen from personal experience what friends have gone through, and some colleagues, and actually the impact of business performance can be quite significant.”

And she highlighted the importance of having leadership buy-in and being able to involve the whole of an organisation when trying to establish a successful mental health and wellbeing strategy:

“We’ve been incredibly fortunate on two fronts: one to have the support of our Chief Executive and the Executive team…and two, to have staff from right across the business working in all different areas, at all different levels of responsibility, and I think it’s that collective force that has really driven step-change.”

The return on investment

Jonny Jacobs CA, Financial Director EMEA at Starbucks and ICAS Member is an established mental-health advocate and was instrumental in shaping ICAS’ Mental Fitness Strategy.

During the session he outlined the human and financial benefits organisations can achieve through a successful wellbeing strategy:

"There is a return on investment when a business invests in mental health. There's certainly a moral argument to it, but even just the cost of poor staff-mental-health to business is huge."

We get our energy from our wellbeing

Also speaking at the event was Geoff McDonald, Executive Director, Minds@Work. Geoff, a former Global VP of Human Resources for Unilever, is now a keynote speaker, business transformation advisor and campaigner, who uses his personal insights and professional experience to inspire business leaders to embrace mental-health issues and empower their organisations to make positive change.

Geoff had advice for managers and business leaders who are considering establishing their own wellbeing strategies:

"What's important in embedding mental health as a strategic priority in business is that it's done with a deep sense of authenticity and humility."

He also shared his own experiences of low mental health and outlined in simple terms how investing in the wellbeing of staff pays dividends:

“We get our energy from our wellbeing. When we're physically healthy, mentally healthy, emotionally healthy, we perform. Energy is the critical enabler to performance. So why is the wellbeing of your people not a strategic priority?”

Watch the video


Find more resources at CA Wellbeing

At the CA Wellbeing section of icas.com you'll find more wellbeing-related articles, information and links to resources designed to help support individuals and organisations.

Healthy minds start here – the ICAS Mental Fitness Pledge

The Pledge signals a long-term commitment to the wellbeing of our Members, Students and colleagues.

6 May - ICAS Insights: Ending workplace stigma linked to mental health

How business leaders can embrace mental-health issues and empower positive change.

Footer links

  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • CA magazine

Connect with ICAS

  • TikTok (opens new window) TikTok Icon
  • Twitter (opens new window) Twitter Icon
  • LinkedIn (opens new window) LinkedIn Icon
  • Instagram (opens new window) Instagram Icon
  • Youtube (opens new window)

ICAS is a member of the following bodies

  • Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (opens new window) Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies logo
  • Chartered Accountants Worldwide (opens new window) Chartered Accountants Worldwide logo
  • Global Accounting Alliance (opens new window) Global Accounting Alliance
  • International Federation of Accountants (opens new window) IFAC
  • Access Accountancy (opens new window) Access Acountancy
  • Women in Finance Charter (opens new window) Women in Finance Charter

Charities

  • ICAS Foundation (opens new window) ICAS Foundation
  • SCABA (opens new window) scaba

Accreditations

  • ISO 9001 - RGB (opens new window)
© ICAS 2022

The mark and designation “CA” is a registered trade mark of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), and is available for use in the UK and EU only to members of ICAS. If you are not a member of ICAS, you should not use the “CA” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to accountancy, tax or insolvency services. The mark and designation “Chartered Accountant” is a registered trade mark of ICAS, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Ireland. If you are not a member of one of these organisations, you should not use the “Chartered Accountant” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to these services. Further restrictions on the use of these marks also apply where you are a member.

Our cookie policy

ICAS.com uses cookies which are essential for our website to work. We would also like to use analytical cookies to help us improve our website and your user experience. Any data collected is anonymised. Please have a look at the further information in our cookie policy and confirm if you are happy for us to use analytical cookies: