The Mental Health Foundation has announced the appointment of Helen Undy OBE as its new Chief Executive.
Location: United Kingdom
The Mental Health Foundation has announced the appointment of Helen Undy OBE as its new Chief Executive. Beginning her role in January 2027, Helen will lead delivery of our ambitious new strategy, building on our long-standing mission to prevent poor mental health.
Helen brings more than 15 years' experience across the mental health sector and joins the Foundation from the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, where she has served as Chief Executive since 2018. During her tenure, she has led the charity through a period of significant growth and policy impact, helping to establish it as a leading voice on the relationship between money and mental health. Throughout her career, she has worked across mental health, public health, social care, housing, employment and financial wellbeing, with a particular focus on prevention and addressing the social factors that shape our mental health.
"I'm hugely honoured to be joining the Mental Health Foundation as its next Chief Executive. I've admired the organisation for many years, and with the prevalence of mental health problems rising so significantly, now is exactly the right time to be doubling down on prevention. With a sharp, focused new strategy, a talented team and a mission that is so critical for the country, I’m very excited to get stuck in and help build on everything that's already been achieved."
- Helen Undy OBE
Helen joins the Mental Health Foundation as we build on more than 75 years of research, advocacy and action to address the factors that shape our mental health and help prevent mental health problems before they start. Earlier this year, we launched a new strategy that retains this focus on prevention, with three priority areas: working lives, online worlds, and bullying and discrimination. These are issues that can have a profound impact on public mental health and where we believe we are well placed to drive meaningful change and improve people's lives.
Steve Workman is Chair of our Board of Trustees and led the recruitment process over the summer.
"We are delighted to appoint Helen as the Mental Health Foundation's next Chief Executive. As we enter an important new phase for the Foundation, Helen brings outstanding leadership experience, a proven ability to influence policy and systems change, and a strong track record of delivering impact. Throughout the recruitment process, she demonstrated a deep commitment to our mission and a clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing mental health today. We look forward to working with her as we deliver our ambitious new strategy, build on our strong foundations and draw on her experience and vision as we take the charity into its next chapter."
- Steve Workman, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Helen joins the Foundation following the departure of former Chief Executive, Mark Rowland, who vacated the role in September 2026 following a decade with the charity.