Who we are

Helen Hopper

Helen Hopper trained in management consultancy with Accenture, and in occupational psychology with SHL, before co-founding leadership consulting firm h3 in 2010, where she is a Partner. h3’s mission is to stimulate growth through learning and Helen pursues this with individuals, teams and organisations as a coach and facilitator. She specialises in developing senior teams across the public, private and third sectors. Helen has degrees in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Oxford University), and in Psychology (The Open University). She is an active supporter of mental health charities, most recently as COO of The Listening Place, and Trustee at The Mix. Helen is co-author of  The Secret Life of Boards: The Art and Psychology of Board Relationships.

James Scroggs

James is an entrepreneurial leader who wears many hats at the intersection of business and society, commerce and culture. A former VP at MTV, his board experience began in 2006 with nine years on the council for the Institute of Contemporary Art. At the same time, he became a founding patron and, since 2013, Chair of Trustees for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). Since 2010 he has been a trustee of YouthNet which became The Mix. Today, he is also founder of New Working Class (Life Skills provider), co-founder of Humanness (human-first business transformation), chair of One Question (advisory network), and visiting lecturer at the University of Roehampton.  

Professor Peter Fonagy

Peter Fonagy, PhD, FMedSci, FBA, FAcSS, OBE, Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science and Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at UCL; Executive Clinical Director, Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme, UCLPartners; Chief Executive of The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, and Senior Clinical Advisor on Children’s Mental Health, NHS England.

His clinical and research interests centre on issues of early attachment relationships, social cognition, borderline personality disorder and violence. A major focus of his contribution has been an innovative research-based psychodynamic therapeutic approach, mentalization-based treatment, which was developed in collaboration with a number of clinical sites in the UK and USA. He has published over 630 scientific papers, 280 chapters, and authored or co-authored 21 books.

He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Academy of Social Sciences. He has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the British Psychological Society, the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorder and in 2015 was the first UK recipient of the British Academy Wiley Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Psychology.

Vik Verma

Vik is the Director of Education at Bristol City Council. He is a highly experienced and passionate leader in children’s services, having transformed and led high-performing services in local government and education.

Vik has held significant roles in the public sector, including Director of Children’s Services in the London Borough of Newham, Director of Education in Dorset Council and senior roles in Westminster City Council. Prior to this, he was a member of the executive team at one of the largest academy trusts in the country, Lift Schools, for five years and has held several advisory roles with academy trusts and charities. Vik has successfully established impactful place-based partnerships, bringing together political leaders, schools, and the NHS to drive positive change in communities.

Victoria Hornby, CEO

Victoria is CEO of Mental Health Innovations. From 2011 to 2017, she was Director of Programmes at The Royal Foundation, building a portfolio of projects including the Invictus Games, Coach Core, United for Wildlife and Heads Together.

Before joining the Foundation, Victoria was a Senior Executive at the Sainsbury Family Trusts and CEO of an international development charity. She began her career as Field Director of an aid agency, living and working in Eastern Europe for four years.

Alongside her day jobs, Victoria is a Director of Social Finance, adviser to the Charles Dunstone Charitable Trust, and a trustee of the Westminster Foundation and the Bridges Impact Foundation.