MANAGING director of Faithful+Gould, Jon Sealy, has this week been announced as the newest board member of the Pagabo Foundation.
Jon Sealy, who has worked at consultancy Faithful+Gould for over 30 years, is responsible for the strategic and operational management of staff in offices throughout the UK and Europe. His appointment to the charity’s board of trustees is the latest step in strengthening to close working relationship between Faithful+Gould and Pagabo.
Jason Stapley, managing director at Pagabo and lead for the foundation, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jon to the board. As someone who has been an integral part of the property and construction business for upwards of 30-years, Jon is fully aware of the issue of mental health in the industry and supportive of our mission to address the taboo.
“There is no doubt that it is a stressful time to be working in the construction industry. The effects of COVID-19 on everything from the productivity of the wider industry, down to every single individual working within it is profound and adding in more pressure points than ever.
“Many people may be worried about how the pandemic will impact their jobs and their ability to work and earn money, others may be worried about how to stay safe while continuing to work under social distancing measures, and everyone will be concerned about the health of themselves and their loved ones.
“Whether a person’s struggles with mental health are a direct cause of their job or not, we want to ensure that everyone working within the industry should have access to all of the provisions and help they need to ensure they’re working towards the healthiest life possible.”
The Pagabo Foundation was set up in 2019 by national framework organisation Pagabo and aims to raise the profile and awareness of mental health within the construction industry and will signpost resources to make support and advice as readily available as possible.
Jon Sealy said: “The charity’s mission to remove the stigma around mental health within the construction industry is vital. Men in particular can often keep hiding their emotions and feelings, which can be massively detrimental to their mental health.
“Working alongside the Pagabo Foundation, I hope to support them in providing an all-important platform for people to openly express themselves and gain help and support if and when it’s needed.”
Starting with its own partners, the Pagabo Foundation aims to unite key organisations within construction to remove stigmas from the top down. Existing board members for the charity include Pat Boyle, managing director at Morgan Sindall Construction, Dirk Pittaway, regional director at Robertson’s, Sarah Fraser, head of WD Foundation at Willmott Dixon, Malcolm Aiston, managing director at NTW solutions and Pagabo’s own Jason Stapley, Simon Toplass and Gerard Toplass.
For more information about the Pagabo Foundation, please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/pagabo-foundation