Aon Australia chief executive James Baum (pictured) is no stranger to the important work being done by the Black Dog Institute (BDI), the latter being an Aon Charity Foundation member and Baum himself having supported the not-for-profit before through events such as the Everest Base Camp trek. This time around, the business leader is joining BDI’s CEO Skydive fundraising in Wollongong.
“I’ve actually walked higher than an airplane, but I’ve always walked down and so I’ve never descended so quickly,” quipped Baum when interviewed by Insurance Business ahead of tomorrow’s event. “I suspect that I’ll have to be forcibly removed from the plane, which I guess goes to the point of why they’ve chosen skydiving as a challenge – to bring awareness around mental health because it will be a mentally challenging moment, I can assure you.”
According to the CEO, he isn’t into quick descent – unless it involves maybe a water slide – and has in fact sworn to himself many times that he would never skydive. Now Baum is taking the leap, in the name of mental health research. As of this writing, he has already raised nearly $18,000, well above the individual $10,000 target.
Collectively, the initiative – participants of which include DUAL Asia-Pacific chief executive Damien Coates and HDI Global SE’s Australia managing director Stefan Feldmann – has so far raised more than $168,000.
Meanwhile, talking about Aon’s existing relationship with BDI, Baum noted: “We provide funding to the Black Dog Institute on an ongoing and annual basis as they’re our charitable partner. So, this event is in addition to what we would normally do with them.
“Also, the Black Dog Institute is a little bit different from other mental health organisations as they’re a clinical organisation and they do clinical studies. So, we do a lot of focus groups with them as well, which is really helpful for them. They come in and talk to our colleagues about their experiences, and we’re more than happy to provide time for BDI.”
On a personal level, the CEO said mental health is a topic that he is passionate about, having realised the silent impact that mental health issues have on colleagues and friends and the community at large. Previously, it wasn’t something that he himself was entirely comfortable discussing.
Citing an annual conference about a decade ago, Baum shared: “A colleague of mine was really keen that we had some topics around mental health. I was heavily involved in organising the conference and I just didn’t feel that that was an appropriate topic, and so it didn’t happen. And then very close to that decision, a very close friend of mine lost their son to suicide.
“That was a very personal confrontation around the decision that I’d taken that we wouldn’t talk about it – to witness very quickly, and in such tragic circumstances, what the impact was. And so that was a turning point for me.”
Now the Aon boss uses his profile and position to raise awareness and ensure that everybody feels good about having a conversation around mental health.
He told Insurance Business: “Once upon a time it made people feel awkward, that somebody would talk about their experiences. And now we have a situation where routinely Aon colleagues in very public forums share some of their battles with mental health, because they feel that they can help other people and it helps them.
“Now I know we understand that it’s just another challenge that we as humans face, and as a community we’re empowered to help each other. And that’s what we do.”
You can support Baum’s CEO Skydive here.
