Headspace onboards social entrepreneur, educationist, and mental health activist Neerja Birla

Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, announced the onboarding of Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Mpower, an Aditya Birla Education Trust initiative that focuses on mental health, wellbeing and mindfulness, to its International Advisory board.

According to a press statement, this development is in line with Headspace’s continued endeavour of creating a robust ecosystem of global industry leaders and practitioners in their respective fields, to further its global mission of transforming how mental healthcare is delivered for all populations.

Times Bridge, the global investments and venture arm of The Times Group, announced its investment in Headspace in 2020 and has led Headspace’s launch in India.

Since its India entry, which coincided with the beginning of the pandemic, Headspace's membership base in the country has grown by over 50 percent.

Headspace’s International Advisory Board is responsible for advancing intellectual awareness of key mental health topics and trends and also advising Headspace on emerging mental health trends across the globe. Headspace’s IAB comprises reputed industry leaders, such as Dr Reena Kotecha, Medical Doctor and Founder of Mindful Medics; Patrick Watt, Commercial Director, Bupa Global; Dr Hiba Sher Khan, ObGyn and Deputy CCIO; Dr Lydia Brown, Clinical Psychologist, Resilience Researcher, and Mindfulness Teacher; among others.

Normalising mental health conversations

As the first Indian representative on the board, Neerja Birla will lend her experience of destigmatising mental health in India’s vast landscape and her domain expertise will be crucial in supporting Headspace’s mission in India.

Simon Blake OBE, Chair, The International Advisory Board, Headspace, said, “We are in continuous pursuit of leaders with diverse backgrounds, entrepreneurial zeal and operational experience who can come together and help us advance the conversation around mental health care. Constantly working to improve our understanding of mental health in India and remaining informed on the latest trends is of critical importance to the board and to Headspace. Neerja Birla has worked tirelessly to campaign for better awareness and improved support in the country, and we are simply thrilled to welcome her and her extensive expertise to the conversation."

Neerja Birla said, “I am thrilled to be a part of their International Advisory Board at a juncture where mental health is becoming a part of mainstream conversations, globally and in India. Our expertise in working closely in the mental health space allows us to understand human and cultural barriers in opening up toward mental health concerns and offer tailor-made solutions.

"It is our endeavour to ensure normalisation of mental health conversations and stamp out the stigma associated with the same. A perfect synergy, the collaboration will provide wide access to mental healthcare resources that are verified by experts, positively impacting the lives of people cutting across geographical boundaries.”

Headspace's mission is to make mindfulness available to everyone, everywhere, and play a role in improving the world's mental wellbeing and happiness quotient.