International Men's Day Event: Breaking the Silence: Embracing Vulnerability and Mental Resilience in Project Management for Men's Well-Being

This theme underscores the significance of open conversations around mental health, particularly for men in project management roles. It encourages men to express their feelings and seek help without stigma while emphasizing the need for mental resilience to navigate workplace stress and challenges. By fostering supportive practices in project environments, we will promote overall mental well-being among men and create a culture that values vulnerability and resilience. This event was hosted by the London Network on 26 November 2026.

An inspiring and eye-opening session where Stuart shared his personal journey through poor mental health and the extraordinary growth of ANDYSMANCLUB. From just nine men meeting in a single room in Halifax in 2016, the movement has grown into a lifeline for thousands of men across the UK every week.

Stuart explored how open, honest conversations can dismantle the stigma around men’s mental health, reinforcing the vital message that “It’s OK to talk.” He shed light on the club’s powerful impact, the lives it has changed, and the importance of safe spaces for men to share their struggles without fear or judgement.

Following Stuart’s talk, a panel of high-profile professionals lead an engaging discussion on how men in the professional world can speak openly about their mental health, the barriers they face, and practical ways workplaces can foster a culture of support and understanding.

Attending this event offered a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions about mental health, specifically tailored for men, particularly those in project management roles. Participants gained insights into the importance of vulnerability and open communication, which helped dismantle societal stigmas surrounding mental health. By understanding these concepts, attendees fostered stronger connections with colleagues and created a more supportive work environment, ultimately enhancing team dynamics and productivity.

Additionally, the event equipped participants with practical tools and strategies to build mental resilience in the face of workplace stress. Through interactive sessions, attendees learned effective coping mechanisms and supportive practices that promote well-being. This not only benefited individual mental health but also contributed to a healthier organisational culture, paving the way for enhanced performance and job satisfaction in high-pressure project environments.

The speakers very kindly allowed their presented material to be made available for viewing. The slides on Slideshare and the webinar recording on YouTube is now available in our APM resources area and also embedded below for reference.

Speakers:

Stuart Fawcett - Regional Lead South for ANDYSMANCLUB in the South-East and London

Stuart Fawcett is Regional Lead South for ANDYSMANCLUB in the South East and London. Stuart has been attending ANDYSMANCLUB for just over 3 years as a user volunteer and facilitator for their club in Basildon Essex. He now works for ANDYSMANCLUB opening the door to that one man every Monday. To find your nearest club please go to andysmanclub.co.uk and search for your nearest club or join online every Monday 7-9.

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE|DL - Founder WinTrade Global Women in Business Network

Honoured by Queen Elizabeth II, with a CBE in 2003, she has also received 2 doctorates for her work in the Entrepreneurship, Global Diversity and Equality arena, and has 4 fellowships from the prestigious St George’s House, Leadership organisation based at Windsor Castle, Fellowship by Kings College London University, the Radio Academy and She published “7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards", promoting greater gender and race diversity in company boardrooms and sits on several boards, and public appointment committees. Her most former appointment was Chair of the Radio Academy, representing the UK’s Radio Industry, and Advisory Panel for OFCOM, Dr Thompson is also a founding member of the UK’s first Black owned Radio Station Choice FM, now known as Capital Xtra.

Celebrating the 28th anniversary of her women in business network she also founded WinTrade Week convention and Awards themed “Womenomics” hosting and celebrating over 600 global women through a week of global business connections, networking, contracting and business development.

Dr Thompson currently Chairs:

• OKRE.org based at the Welcome Trust:
• (Recently) The BCA: Black Cultural Archives:
• Steering Group of Black Equality Organisation.

Committees:

• The Parker Review: Sir John Parker
• Advisor To Past Ministers For Business: Nadeem Zahawi, Paul Sculley, Kevin
• Founder WinTrade Global Women In Business Network:
• President: Association For Project Management

Dr Thompson is also:

• By Royal Appointment is as Deputy Lieutenant For Greater London
• Freeman of The City Of London

During her spare time one of hers passions is for Sky Diving which she does to support various charities.

Rajeev Nayak – CEO & Founder of Exponentium Consulting & Coaching Ltd, And CEO & Founder of Biobalance Healthcare Ltd.

Rajeev Nayak is:

• CEO & Founder – Exponentium Consulting & Coaching Ltd
• CEO & Co-Founder – Biobalance Healthcare Ltd
• Certified Leadership Coach & Business Strategy Consultant
• Serial Entrepreneur

A dynamic and purpose-driven leader with over 25 years of cross-functional experience in General Management, Business Strategy, Leadership Development, and Entrepreneurship, with experience and proven track record of leading multicultural teams and businesses across Asia, Europe, the UK, and the CIS region.

Global Leadership Experience, managing high-growth teams and business functions across international businesses, with specialization in the healthcare and pharma space.

Strategic Advisor, Board Member & Coach to CEOs, Founders, and Senior Executives on leadership effectiveness, high-performing teams, and business scale-up strategies.

Expert in Customised Leadership & Team Development Interventions, focused on behavioural transformation, performance alignment, and team synergy in multicultural environments.

ICF-Certified Coach and Certified Marshall Goldsmith SCC Coach, leveraging Positive Intelligence® and Emotional Intelligence frameworks to foster resilience, mental fitness, and sustainable leadership.

Pioneer in integrating Neuroscience-based tools into coaching to combat stress, burnout, and decision fatigue among leaders and teams.

Founder of multiple ventures (Exponentium Consulting & Biobalance Healthcare) in the UK with deep expertise in healthcare entrepreneurship, brand innovation, and digital business models.

Multilingual communicator proficient in English, Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, Marathi, and Konkani, enabling authentic cross-cultural engagement.

Education and Credentials:

• ICF Certified Coach
• Positive Intelligence & Mental Fitness Coach
• Certified Marshall Goldsmith SCC Leadership Coach(MGSCC)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing
• Certified Trainer on Advanced Leadership Skills, Business Strategy & Growth Mindset

Areas of Expertise:

• Business Strategy Consulting
• Sales & Marketing Consulting
• Brand Building & Communication Excellence
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• New Market Entry Strategy
• Leadership Coaching/Advanced Leadership Skills
• Positive Intelligence (PQ) & Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
• Performance Management

Chris Blockley-Webb FAPM, IRMCert, SIRM, MOR_P, IRCA, MBSi - Head of Risk Management - Civils Works Alliance (CWA) – Sizewell C

Chris was born and educated in Sheffield before joining the Royal Navy. He served on several platform types in various theatres. He was medically retired following a car accident resulting in rehabilitation in RAF Headley Court.

On leaving the RN he joined the Civil Service (CS) in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) as a front-line Coastguard Watch Officer. This led to a move to the MCA's HQ in Southampton where he took up post as the Standards and Technical SME where he represented the UK at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Here he participated in and chaired committees responsible for maritime carriage requirements of electronic equipment in European and international domains. At his time in the MCA, he moved into Human Element and Risk Management (RM) where his approach to RM was adopted into the parent department (Department for Transport (DfT)).

October 2017, he returned to the MOD Civil Service (CS) as the Senior Risk Manager for the RN's Ships Acquisition Office overseeing the risk management for the T26, T31e & FSS programmes with input into the National Shipbuilding Strategy. July 2019 saw Chris move to MOD Main Building to take up post as the DRA Assistant Head of Risk Management for the MOD.

During this time Chris has established himself in the RM community. Outside of work he sits on the British Standards Institute (BSi) committees of BSi 31000, 31010 and Guide 73 (BSi 31073). He also sits as member of BSi 9001-2015. In January 2019 this culminated in Chris joining BSi RM1, the risk management standards parent committee. Chris is also a member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) and the Institute of Registered Chartered Auditors (IRCA) (9001-2015 & 14001). Chris has recently joined ISO TCT26/WG6 – Risk Language and the ISO 31000 Risk Management Principles update committee as the UK Deputy Head of Delegation (DHoD).

Chris is a Neuro-Linguistic Programmer Master Practitioner (NLP-Mas.Prac) and holds several diplomas including Psychology, Sports Psychology and Philosophy along with various RM qualifications.

Chris is an Institute of Risk Management (IRM) Technical Specialist (SIRM) and IRMCert. Chris is chair of the IRM Armed Forces Community SIG, Chair IRM Defence Risk Management Thought & Research Hub, a Fellow of the Association of Project Management (FAP) (Risk Interest Network (RIN) Lead), Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) L7 Higher Performance Coach and Strategic Intervention Facilitator as well as being a Train the Trainer. He is also a guest lecturer at Warwick, Sussex, Southampton Solent & Portsmouth Universities.

2023, Chris took the opportunity to move into industry and worked as an Associate Director (Risk Specialist) Defence, with Turner & Townsend. Here Chris worked with AWE and the MOD on a variety of programmes (SSNA, recapitalisation of Portsmouth Harbour, Skynet) to deliver risk management best practise.

2025 saw Chris take up the role as Head of Risk Management (Civil Works Alliance (CWA)) for Sizewell C, a UK mega-project.

Chris has been involved in the writing and development of the HMT Orange Book supplements, the latest MOR_P syllabus & exam, and Lead Author of the APM PRAM Guide, 3rd edition. He is also involved with AirMic on their Risk Steering Group.

Chris has been married to his wife Janet since 1998 and lives in Hampshire, they have three children, Elloise, and twins Marcus & Hannah, along with their Cane Corso Azul, Shalise, French bulldogs Gracie and Nero, and cats Charlie, Lola, Jaspies & Sox.

Prior to his accident he was a keen sportsman, particularly rugby – playing and later refereeing / referee assessing. He also enjoys travel and DIY, but according to his wife he is not very accomplished!

Brent Leyshon - Senior Project Manager, Transport for London

Brent Leyshon is a Senior Project Manager with nearly 30 years of experience delivering major infrastructure programmes, including leadership roles on Transport for London’s Bakerloo Line Upgrade and Piccadilly Line Integration. Beyond his professional achievements, Brent has been a Mental Health First Aider for 16 years and openly shares his own journey with anxiety and depression. Following the tragic loss of colleagues to suicide, he has become a passionate advocate for change, leading initiatives within TfL’s Capital Delivery Directorate to break the stigma, raise awareness, and ensure suicide prevention becomes a core part of wellbeing conversations.

Host:

Dr Mehtab Khan (FHEA), Professor in CEPS, MSc Project Management

Mehtab Khan is an assistant professor at the University of the West of Scotland, London campus. She leads and coordinates the Change Management and Leadership module within the MSc Project Management programme. Before her academic career, Dr Khan honed her strategic skills as a strategist for an HMRC-affiliated organisation. She was recently appointed as the Chair of School Governors at Oxhey Wood Primary School. Dr Khan also champions employability projects for MSc Project Management students, aiming to help them pave their career paths. She was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) by the University of the West of Scotland in November 2021. Her specialist interests include business research, strategy planning, and project leadership. She is currently involved in research projects aligned with the UN SDGs 3, 12, and 13. She recently chaired a panel discussion titled “Redefining a Career Success for Women in Project Leadership” at the APM WiPM conference in Oct 2025. Her accolades include promotion to assistant professor in 2024, winning the internal research competition Crucible in 2023, and a nomination for the Best Lecturer of the Year award at the student-led Big Awards in March 2022. In her role, Dr Khan teaches a diverse community of international students from across the globe and collaborates with a varied academic teaching team at UWS. This rich environment deepens her understanding of the critical need to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into her work, enabling her to connect meaningfully with colleagues and students from all backgrounds.

Quote: “Diversity at the workplace is an opportunity to experience the world’s colour and charm, culture and creed, creativity and cleverness daily at work without travelling the world” :