Join us for the Construction Mental Health Summit 2025

Get Construction Talking will host the Construction Mental Health Summit on 30 September 2025 at The Gherkin in London with a wide-range of international speakers.

THE ARTICLE you’re reading shouldn’t exist.

In recent years I am someone who, behind the scenes, has struggled with their mental health, and in particular with depression. In my darkest moments I felt lonely, ashamed and yes – scared. Talking about how I felt with anyone felt terrifying. An admission of failure and weakness. Writing about my mental health on the internet for the world to see? Forget it.

This article does exist because I opened-up and started talking. First to a counsellor, then to my family, then to 3,500 people at Procore’s Groundbreak event in New Orleans.

Indeed, I only still exist myself because of those actions that I took, cripplingly difficult though they were at the time.

I don’t really like the label, but I guess I am what mental health experts would call a survivor. I have lived through my own struggles and know the weight they can carry. That’s why tackling construction’s mental health crisis isn’t some abstract industry issue to me — it’s deeply personal.

Above: The B1M's Fred Mills on a construction site in Austria.

The numbers are sobering. On average, two construction workers die by suicide every day in the UK industry. It’s the same story in Australia, and in the US you’re five times more likely to die by suicide working in construction than you are in any other sector.

Driving Action

It’s why I founded Get Construction Talking: a global initiative between The B1M and Procore to raise awareness and drive action around mental health in construction, the industry that I love.

There’s much more to do, but we’ve had a fantastic impact to date. Over $696,000 has been raised for construction’s mental health charities worldwide, high-impact action-focused events have taken place across London, Sydney, Chicago and Denver, and awareness campaigns have been launched across New York and London’s public transport networks.

The initiative was also recently backed by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

Above: Get Construction Talking's mental health awareness campaign in New York's Times Square.

The Construction Mental Health Summit 2025

On 30 September, we’re proud to be bringing industry leaders, charities, experts, construction workers and clients from three continents together under one roof at the top of London’s Gherkin skyscraper for our Construction Mental Health Summit. 

The morning will feature frank and honest keynote sessions, panel debates and a collaborative workshop, all aimed at taking stock of where we are and what our next actions must be.

We're excited to announce our full speaker line-up as follows:

Above: The Construction Mental Health Summit will take place in London on 30 September, featuring a wide range of speakers.

The Summit Agenda

Hosted by myself and Procore’s Sasha Reed, our engaging agenda for the day will run as follows:

8:30 – Arrival: Tea, Coffee and Light Breakfast, Level 39

9:00 – Welcome and Opening Keynote, Level 40

• Fred Mills, The B1M
  
• Sasha Reed, Procore
  

9:15 – Panel 1: Labour Voices

This session will be centred on the lived experiences of the construction workforce, with a focus on stigma, support systems and first-hand stories.

• Fred Mills, The B1M (Chair)
• Katie Kelleher, CPA
• Steve Kerslake, Construction Sport
• Brett Smith, Gardner Builders

10:00 – Panel 2: Policy, Strategy and Culture

This leadership-level conversation will explore what’s needed to drive systemic change.

• Sasha Reed, Procore (Chair)
• Elle Smith, Strategic Estates, UK Parliament
• Peter Tateishi, AGC of California
• Rob Cheeseman, Balfour Beatty
• Samantha Downie, Mates in Mind

10:40 – Break: Light refreshments and informal networking

11:00 – Workshop: Solutions, Barriers and Ideas for Collective Action

• Brett King, Procore (Lead Facilitator)
• Sasha Reed, Procore (Lead Facilitator)
• Nana Yaa Nsiah-Appiah, Loughborough University (Guest Speaker)
• Catherine Thompson, Deloitte (Guest Speaker)

11:45 – Closing Keynote

• Fred Mills, The B1M (Chair)
• Mark Reynolds, Construction Leadership Council

12:15 – Close: Lunch and informal networking

Our Partners

Alongside our powerful speaker line-up, the summit is also being supported by several fantastic partners from across the construction industry, including:

• Multiplex
• Balfour Beatty
• KONE
• Tideway London
• Mayor of London
• Gardner Builders
• Statom Group
• Brick Borrow
• Mates in Mind
• Construction Sport
• Mates in Construction
• Lighthouse
• Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention

Everyone is welcome to attend the summit, but if you’re not able to join us you can follow along on social media or head to getconstructiontalking.org where we have a range of resources available, including our free Construction Mental Health Action Plan.

Above: Get Construction Talking's free to download Construction Mental Health Action Plan.

Summits and initiatives aside, the big picture is that we all have a role to play in this. It’s only our collective actions that can truly move the dial.

If you’re not sure how you can play a part or where to start, then the Action Plan is honestly a great introduction. It’s designed to support the industry and complement its many fantastic initiatives, campaign groups and construction mental health charities, by helping more people take the first steps and begin to make an impact.

I know from personal experience how tough the silence can be. Let’s break the silence together – across our sites, offices and teams – before more lives are lost.