who
are we?
Management & Service Advisory Board

KIRSTY CARDY
Founder & CEO of Talk Mental.
Mental Health Advocate.
Kirsty combines a passion for mental health and wellness with a wealth of experience in the field of tech-based start ups and executive level business leadership in global organisations.
With lived experience of depression, Kirsty embarked on a mission to remove the stigma and change the way people nurture their mental health.

Dr. Simon Bainbridge
Psychiatrist, Clinical Director & Lecturer.
Both UK and New Zealand trained, Simon holds an honorary senior lecturer post and is studying for a postgraduate degree in Business. Simon holds membership of the UK College 2005, as well as Australian and New Zealand College in 2010.
Simon has a particular interest in adult ADHD, depression, anxiety as well as drug and alcohol use disorders that often occur co-morbidly with these conditions.

Guy Johnson
PG Dip Counselling. Provisional Member NZAC.
Guy brings fresh qualified ideas to the board, having completed his post-graduate training and becoming a Counsellor in 2018.
Guy is an affiliated provisional member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and adheres to the NZAC Code of Ethics, and is passionate about supporting people to foster self-awareness, clarity, and personal agency so they may feel empowered and well-resourced in life.

Dr. Brett Gerrard
Emergency Medicine Specialist.
MBChB.FACEM.
Dr Brett Gerrard is an emergency medicine specialist with over 20 years of acute front-line medical experience.
He understands the importance of open and empathic communication when it comes to mental health. Knowing that we can talk to each other and seek help when we need it, is a powerful realisation and a means for enriching the mental wellbeing of us all.

Cheryl Gush
Director of GC Consulting, NZ Business Mentors Provider.
Cheryl has both a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a Masters in Advanced Leadership Practice (MALP) from Massey University.
Cheryl's MBA Research lead to a comprehensive international marketing plan for a local manufacturer, and her research as part of her MALP resulted in a deep reflection of how art might be used as a portal to emotional expression in leadership during times of grief.
eMental Health Advisory
The world’s leading eMental Health experts have consulted on Talk Mental to help shape what it is today.

Professor Anil Thapilyal
CEO HealthTrx
Adjunct Professor Anil Thapliyal has a passion for improving people’s health and wellbeing through the application of information communication technology seamlessly integrated within people’s health care. He completed his postgraduate qualifications in Mental Health and Counselling field from the University of Auckland. Based on his longstanding work with the National Depression Initiative (The Lowdown and The Journal), in New Zealand, he decided to focus on the broader eMental Health domain and is professionally focused on the implementation of eMental Health programmes and services.

Penny Marlowe
Senior Project Manager, Mental Health
Penny has 20 years experience in the public health sector across population health approaches, acute care, operational and strategic roles in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
Previously a Physiotherapist, Penny shifted her focus and passion to be on change management and stakeholder engagement in the mental health industry, after being significantly involved in project management and public health research roles.

Tania Sievwright
Digital Mental Health Strategist
Tania has 20 years work experience in strategy, solution development and change management roles, and reflective, action-oriented problem solving approach that brings people together to make sustainable change.
Drawing on this experience and her ICT sector background, she thrives collaborating with clients and the community to create digitally-enabled mental health and addictions solutions to help people live their best lives.
Tania now serves as a senior strategist to Health TRx and regularly speaks at industry events.
Community Safety Team
The unsung heroes of Talk Mental! This amazing team are on 24/7 to ensure all activity is inline with our Community Standards, ensuring your experience is free from negative experiences.
They also watch out for any members at risk and have escalation processes in place to ensure the safety all members.
Jaideep
Pondicherry, India
Shaping the future of Healthcare Human Resources.
Mac
Balanga, Phillipines.
There are 3 things I value in life – Purpose, passion and people.”
Emmanuel
Lagos, Nigeria.
I enjoy contributing to many community groups.
RICK
Auckland, New Zealand
Continually evaluates people’s response to situations.
JAMES
Shimori, Japan
Dual citizenship experienced project manager.
Faye
El Segundo, USA
Empathetic, collaborative, and conscientious.
MIA
Cape Town, South Africa
Provides support using an unwavering commitment to detail.
KYLAN
Auckland, New Zealand
Passionate about giving back to the community.
Doreen
Perth, Australia
Empathetic, collaborative, and conscientious.
Special thanks...
To the following people that lent their skills and time to make Talk Mental what it is today.

ROB GRIEVE
Business Life Coach Consultant.
Drawing on his experience in business ownership, tourism and life coaching, Rob mentored Talk Mental’s Executive Management team from concept through to launch to ensure they stay on track with their vision and purpose. Rob’s advocacy of honesty and venerability in business relations have contributed to the core values Talk Mental adopted into their culture.

Julie Galang
Recruitment Consultant
Julie’s highly respected recruitment experience across both digital and medical industries enabled her to provide exceptional recruitment governance advice and services to Talk Mental. Julie’s recommendations around privacy and clinical regulations, hiring processes, and candidate selection have ensured that Talk Mental’s recruitment vertical follows best practice to deliver optimal outcomes for both candidates and the Talk Mental team.

Sarah Ibbs
General Manager in the not-for-profit sector.
With over 25 years of experience in various markets, Sarah applied her knowledge and expertise in the not-for-profit sector to Talk Mental’s digital products. Sarah’s contributions have ensured that Talk Mental’s messaging is portrayed accurately and with integrity across all platforms. Sarah’s services have ensured that Talk Mental can build trust and loyalty with their members.

Chad Carter
Health and Technology Entrepreneur.
Chad is passionate about people, health, wellness, smart technology and business. Thanks to his passion for building meaningful relationships, Chad contributed a wealth of expertise to Talk Mental’s community engagement. Chad’s lead on mental health topics relevant to the majority of the population have helped shape the all-inclusive platform that Talk Mental is today.