Mark Brooks OBE

Mark is a sector leader, thought leader, conference speaker, media spokesperson and national policy adviser on men and boys’ issues – including male health, masculinity, male suicide, boys’ education, employment, inclusion and domestic abuse. He received an OBE in 2019 and an Honorary Doctorate (University of West London) in 2023 for his work in these fields.

Mark’s LinkedIn Page

He has over 25 years’ of  senior and national level experience in communications, marketing, public policy and public affairs. This includes working at director-level for two national charities as well as broader work advising the private and public sectors on their communications and influencing.

He is currently acting as Director of Policy and Communications at the new independent think-tank, Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys.  He recently published a new report on Missing Men (May 2025) which highlights the wellbeing of men and boys in the UK over 25 key indicators covering education, employment health and crime. He also co-wrote a report for the Higher Education Policy Institute on the lack of boys going into Higher Education: Boys will be boys (March 2025), a Missing Men employment update and a range of men and boys’ commentaries and research reports.

Other recent successes including playing a leading role in the successful campaign for a Men Health Strategy for England (this included publishing a draft strategy and speaking at a select committee), well-received reports on male suicide and boys’ education (he was named in a Parliamentary Debate and led to a Select Committee opening an inquiry) and appearing on BBC Breakfast raising the profile of male victims of domestic abuse.  He has also led the hugely successful International Men’s Day UK platform (800+ organisations took part in 2025) , is a regular conference and podcast speaker on the above issues (as well as topics such as modern masculinity and at men’s staff networks) and is regularly in the media (BBC, LBC, Talk Radio, Telegraph, Times and Guardian).  See thought leadership page for summary.

Core activities and support

Mark has over 25 years’ of  senior and national level experience in communications, marketing, public policy and public affairs. His successes be found further down.

Mark is currently available to support policy makers, health bodies, local authorities,  charities, employers, think tanks, representative bodies and others with their public policy, research and public affairs on issues affecting men and boys in the UK.  This includes:

• Speaker/Presenter/Conference chair on the importance of men’s health, education and inclusion – including modern masculinity, supporting men in the workplace and the overarching issues men and boys’ face in the UK.
• Policy, marketing, communications campaigns to support male help-seeking, service access and inclusion/culture change. This includes improving men’s access to public health and suicide prevention programmes.
• Supporting employers with the health  of their male employees. From practical reviews of policies and challenges; to creating or building on existing male support networks; and devising/managing/running creating information and campaigns for male employees and customers.
• Policy and research campaigns at a national, regional and local level including writing policy submissions/reports and leading the influencing campaigns.
• Writing reports, articles and speeches (including ghosting for others), and, speaking at and chairing conferences/roundtables.
• Training and giving presentations/talks.
• Building partnerships for employers and public bodies with the organisations, academics and charities working in the men and boys’ space.

Current Positions

• Director of Policy and Communications: Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys
• Senior Communications and Policy Advisor: Men and Boys’ Health, Education, Inclusion and Domestic Abuse
• Policy Advisor: All-Party Parliamentary Group on Men and Boys Issues
• Chair: The ManKind Initiative (domestic abuse charity for male victims) 
• National Ambassador: International Men’s Day UK
• Trustee: Association of Male Health and Wellbeing charity
• Associate for the Men’s Health Forum

Recent successes

His recent overarching successes include:

• Helping to create the new independent think-tank, Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys  including publishing a new report on Missing Men (May 2025) which highlights the wellbeing of men and boys in the UK
• Mainstreaming and normalising men and boys’ health, wellbeing and inclusion as a distinct field of public policy, public interest and practice.
•  Creating men’s health as a distinct field of public, employer and health policy and delivery (such as the political acceptance of the need for a Men’s Health Strategy, the creation of the role of a Men’s Health Ambassador, and a Task and Finish Group on male access to public health). He gave evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s inquiry on men’s health – an inquiry he successfully campaigned for and has published a Men’s Health Strategy for England (2024) policy paper with Associate Professor, Caroline Flurey (University of West England) . He has played a key role in persuading the Government to launch such a strategy.
•  Creating policy reports for a Parliamentary Group on a men’s health strategy, male suicide preventionand boys’ educational underachievement – the latter also lead to the creation of a Select Committee inquiry.
• Co-writing a report for Higher Education Policy Institute on the lack of boys going into Higher Education: Boys will be boys (March 2025).
•  Creating a positive conversation about the need for a specific Government Minster focussing on men and boys’ health and wellbeing (Minister for Men’s Health and Wellbeing).
•  Continuing to build the domestic abuse sector for male victims including creating a practitioner network and national service standards, being a member of key national bodies, published research into the experiences of male victims and also speaking at conferences and the media (BBC Breakfast). He crated the Supporting Male victims of Domestic Abuse Day every November (over 150 organisations are involved) and is an expert panel member on eight domestic homicide reviews. He has been the Chair of the ManKind Initiative charity for nearly 20 years.
•  Leading International Men’s Day in the UK to be the peak calendar day supporting men and boys. It is the most active in the world with 800 organisations involved in the UK in 2025. He works with partners large and small to help them with their events, gives talks to employers/public bodies and promotes the Day across the UK.
• Advising Government/CPS on Men’s Health Strategy, Stalking Guidance and CPS revision on inter-personal violence against men/boys.
•  He continues to give presentations and talks to employers, podcasts and public representative bodies  on a range of issues affecting men and boys. Recent talks include to Metropolitan Police,  Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, Police Federation, Civil Aviation Authority, Lloyds, Superdrug, Jisc, TSB, University of Cumbria, Association of Accredited Learning, Network Rail, JobCentre Plus, Hourglass and Trauma Care. Recent podcast include TalkSport’s Men’s Room, The Sociology Show and Men on Show.

Additional Credentials

He is also a founding trustee of the Association of Male Health and Wellbeing (previously the  Men and Boys Coalition) charity, a network of over 120 academics, charities and leaders in the field of men’s health and wellbeing.

In the past he commissioned the very first Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 awards alongside the NS&I Quarterly Savings Survey, created its popular Premium Bonds persona ‘Agent Million’ and found the original ‘Ernie’ Premium Bond draw maker that had been stored for decades in a Wiltshire Aircraft Hanger.

Mark is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, a qualified domestic abuse services manager and has previously been the director/head of communications at two large national charities.

Mark is available to:

Below are a wide range of the marketing communication and public policy campaign areas that Mark can advise on with respect to male help-seeking, service access and culture change/inclusion.