To commemorate the opening of the 2026 TheMHS Awards, we sat down with Kim Borrowdale, winner of the Exceptional Contribution Award in 2024, to hear her thoughts on TheMHS Awards and the application process. Here’s what she had to say—consider it your little dose of inspiration if you’re thinking about applying!
My work has always been driven by a simple but persistent question: whose voices are we hearing, and whose voices are missing? Early in my career, I realised how often communications in the mental health sector focus on outputs, campaigns, or programs—yet miss the deeper work of elevating the right stories and perspectives.
Losing my Auntie Kaye to suicide was the pivotal moment that shifted my entire professional trajectory. It grounded me in both the urgency and humanity of this work. Since then, my goal has been to help organisations centre lived experience, ask uncomfortable strategic questions, and communicate with both purpose and compassion.
The gap I’ve always tried to fill is the “behind-the-scenes” work: supporting leaders, teams, and organisations to align their strategy, their storytelling, and their service to the people they exist to serve.
This award has given visibility to work that is usually invisible. Communications roles are often behind the scenes, yet they shape how stories are told, how communities engage, and how systems evolve. The recognition has opened conversations with people and organisations who might not have otherwise known how strategic communications can drive systemic change.
It has also reinforced for many of my long-term collaborators that their willingness to invite me into the “messy middle” of their work matters. It has validated the belief that curiosity, co-design, and challenging the status quo are essential parts of progressing the sector.
Apply. Even if you think your work is too “behind the scenes,” too small, or not polished enough—apply anyway. TheMHS Awards don’t just recognise programs; they recognise people, ideas, courage, collaboration, innovation, and the slow, steady work of culture change.
By showcasing your work, you’re not just elevating your project—you’re strengthening the entire sector. Visibility helps others learn from your approach, avoid duplication, and build on what’s working. And perhaps most importantly, it reminds your team and community that their efforts have meaning and momentum.
This award feels like a recognition of the parts of the job that rarely make it into annual reports—the tough questions, the honest conversations, the strategy sessions that reshape direction, and the moments where you advocate for voices not yet in the room.
For me, it honours not just my work, but the mentors, colleagues, and leaders who trusted me enough to let me be their “pain in the arse”—the person who pushes, challenges, and raises the bar because the sector deserves nothing less. It acknowledges that communications is not decoration; it is a strategic driver of systemic change.
Above all, it’s a tribute to my Auntie Kaye and to everyone who comes to this work wearing both professional expertise and personal experience.
