Zoe is one of the founders of This Can Happen. She is also the founder of Employees Matter, the largest provider of employee engagement seminars and webinars in the UK.

Alyson Niemann is a nonprofit leader with over 20 years of experience in scaling and structuring entrepreneurial initiatives, developing cross-cultural programming, and training the next generation of nonprofit leaders. Alyson’s work with a global nonprofit expanded new efforts for greater missional impact in countries across the globe, including eight years in Russia. As a leader, strategist, and change agent, she now specializes in fostering connections in the nonprofit field, with a focus on helping others grow toward impact. This includes connecting nonprofit professionals and leaders with their passions, building equitable and authentic workplace cultures, and bridging the gaps between philanthropic funding and high-impact programs. 

In September 2020, Alyson joined Mindful Philanthropy as the Chief Operating Officer to use her leadership skills to create a thriving and equitable culture through effective talent management, transparent financial systems while also overseeing strategy development, marketing, and communications. Now as the CEO of Mindful Philanthropy, Alyson leads the sector in catalyzing high-impact funding of mental health, addiction, and community well-being initiatives. Under Alyson’s leadership, Mindful Philanthropy is pioneering a unique approach to effective giving in mental health, an urgent yet often overlooked issue area. 

Alyson earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Price School of Business at the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Public Administration from the Robert F Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, where she now teaches The Business of Nonprofit Management.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Justice Hollins (@hollinsmichele) obtained her B.Sc. from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas in 1987 and then her LL.B. from the University of Saskatchewan in 1992. After clerking to the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, she worked at McCarthy Tetrault in Calgary, Alberta until 2001, when she joined the firm of Dunphy Best Blocksom LLP. She became a partner there in 2004 and received her Queen’s Counsel designation in 2008.

Prior to her appointment in 2017, Justice Hollins had a varied civil and commercial litigation practice, with a focus on employment law. She appeared before all levels of Alberta Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada. Michele was involved in the Canadian Bar Association for many years, including serving as the National President in 2014-2015. She received the Louis St. Laurent Award for service to the CBA in 2010 and the Women in Law Leadership Award in 2013. In 2019, she received the CBA Wellness Award for Excellence in recognition of her work to advance mental health in the profession by sharing her own experience with others.

Since her appointment to the Court of King’s Bench, she has continued to speak and write on issues of mental health in the legal profession and has taught or participated in many substantive legal education conferences, including social media, judgment writing, advocacy and civil and criminal procedure.

Michele has adult twin daughters who flew the nest many years ago to make their own nests in Chicago and Los Angeles respectively. There are also a number of baby birds now so they all visit each others’ nests regularly!

Michael Herman is General Counsel and a Toronto-based business law partner at Gowling WLG, an international law firm.

Michael is a strong advocate for mental health and wellness at Gowling WLG and within the broader legal community. Through his ongoing work to raise awareness and eliminate stigma, he hopes to make it easier for anyone experiencing mental illness to come forward and seek help without fear of judgment.

As a mental health champion, Michael has spoken extensively and worked collaboratively with various organizations over the past several years. These include CivicAction, the Canadian Bar Association, Made of Millions Foundation, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Conference Board of Canada, Toronto Law Association Wellbeing at Work and This Can Happen. Michael is a contributing author to The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession, published in 2024. Michael is also on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute for Advancements in Mental Health, a solutions-oriented charitable organization that supports, innovates and drives change for better mental health.

As the National Head of Dentons’ Banking and Finance Team, Ryan supports and mentors over 55 lawyers across six offices in Canada. In this role, he has been attracted and developed top talent in emerging legal practice areas such as payments, open banking, fintech, fund finance, and technology financing, while also building a cohesive national team that is strategically aligned with Dentons’ international banking and finance teams.

Beyond his leadership at the firm, Ryan continues to act as a trusted advisor to Canada’s largest banks.

Ryan is focused on advancing technology, including Generative Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Document Automation, Blockchains, and Quantum Computing, and on leveraging these technologies to advance the legal industry. He has become highly skilled in all aspects of technology financing, serving as the counsel of choice for the technology lending teams at some of Canada’s largest banks.

An active mental health advocate, Ryan consistently works to support those affected by mental health challenges. He regularly speaks on mental health panels across the world, where he openly shares his personal mental health journey. Ryan recently co-authored a book on mental health entitled "The Right Not to Remain Silent – The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession," published by LexisNexis in April 2024, with all proceeds donated to CAMH: The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Imran Kamal is Crown Counsel for the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, specialising in Indigenous rights. He previously served as legal counsel for the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Hamilton from 2014 to 2021. A Certified Specialist in Indigenous Legal Issues by the Law Society of Ontario, Imran was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine in 2021. He has received the Precedent Setter Award for his work with Indigenous communities and the Diversity Award from the South Asian Bar Association for his contributions to mental health destigmatisation and reconciliation.

Imran is deeply committed to grassroots initiatives. In 2017, he founded Hamilton Lawyers Feed the Hungry, a programme that provides meals to 80-100 children and youth in the Hamilton area bi-weekly. He also volunteers weekly at a men’s residential addiction treatment centre, where he supports men overcoming addiction.

With over eight years of personal recovery from addiction, Imran openly shares his experiences to destigmatise mental health and addiction in society, particularly within the legal profession. He has spoken at numerous legal events, including the Law Society of Ontario’s largest-ever Mental Health Summit, aiming to raise awareness and foster compassion in the legal community.

Brion has completed all but a dissertation for a PhD in I/O Psychology (Walden University) Earned an MA in Organizational Psychology (Walden University) and a BA in Ministry (Central Christian). He has also earned a certification in Positive Psychology (University of Pennsylvania). Brion has been married to Alicia Simms for 40 years. They have thrived through three military deployments and five carrier changes. They resided in a dozen states and two continents and have together explored much of the world. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Rosie Frost is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity and inclusion. She heads up Design for Inclusivity for Logitech and co-founded LogiNeuro – Logitech’s Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group (ERG) whose mission is to provide a supportive community for neurodivergent individuals and also to raise awareness and educate everyone on the challenges of neurodiversity at work.

She has introduced manager and employee neurodiversity training as well as anonymous diagnostic and screening support for colleagues.

With a background in User Insight - she spends time exploring challenges and solutions directly with users to ensure products are more accessible and inclusive. She is also a school SEND Governor where she ensures neurodivergent support is always high on the agenda.

Rosie is neurodivergent herself and mother to a son with ADHD.

I’m a proud neurodivergent and parent to an autistic IT Professional. I have worked in the tech industry for more than 25 years and am based in Tafton, Pennsylvania. My passions lie in empowering other neurodivergent individuals to blossom and bring their whole selves to any room they’re in. For example, I teach others to embrace their differences as strengths. I also pride myself in servant leadership and have spent more than 10 years mentoring, coaching, and educating neurodivergent individuals and their caregivers.

Kurt Iobst is a passionate advocate and leader for Neurodiversity inclusion and empowerment. As the President and founder of the Neurodiversity Abilityforce ERG at Salesforce, he is dedicated to breaking down barriers, fostering understanding, and paving a path for the neurodiversity community to thrive in society.

A storyteller by nature, Kurt shares his own experiences as a late-diagnosed Autistic. Kurt is focused on creating a workspace where differences are celebrated and embraced. He draws on his backgrounds in both education and technology to provide him with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by neurodiverse individuals, as well as the potential they possess to contribute uniquely to the global community. He has been a featured speaker at several events, not limited to but including the United Nations during National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), at the world’s largest tech conference CES, as well as Salesforce’s annual event, Dreamforce.

Nikki is the Founder of Bounce Black. She launched the platform in 2020 as a culmination of her journey of recovery from anxiety and depression, seeking to help fill in the gaps she previously fell through. Nikki is also a published writer with articles featured in Freuds, the Journal of Mental Health, and Lancet Psychiatry. Among the many other hats Nikki wears are keynote speaker, mental health accessibility consultant, UN Women UK Delegate, 70/30 Campaign Ambassador and Creative Mentor Network Ambassador.

Kathryn oversees This Can Happen's new initiative - Research & Insights, which is helping companies to measure and benchmark the success of their mental health strategies.