ZSA co-founder awarded CBE in New Year’s Honours List

We’re extremely proud of our ZSA co-founder, Steve Mallen, who has been recognised with a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to mental health and suicide prevention.

Steve’s son, Edward tragically took his own life in 2015 six weeks after his 18^th birthday. Following a public promise made at his funeral, Steve has worked tirelessly over the past decade to make a difference in Edward’s memory.

The ZSA has been a key part of Steve’s promise to his son. Founded in 2017, the ZSA now has nearly 900 member organisations and nearly 3,500 individual members. Collectively, ZSA suicide awareness training courses have been taken nearly 2.8 million times.

Steve also founded and chaired The MindEd Trust charity which made a substantial donation last year to Cambridge University to establish a 3 to 5 year research programme aimed at reducing mental illness and suicide in young people.

Steve has used his experiences and insights to support the development of national plans and strategies. He is a member of the of the Government’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group (NSPSAG) and advised on the 2023 National Suicide Prevention Strategy. He has appeared before the Health Select Committee on a number of occasions and also advised the Department of Education and the Ministry of Justice. He also served as a Governor at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust for several years.

On receiving his CBE, Steve said: "Whilst it is inevitably pleasing to have one’s efforts recognised, this award is of course overshadowed by the tragic loss of my dear son.

"I dedicate this honour to him. It is the very least he would have expected of me, the very least I can do in his memory and the very least he and countless others so needlessly lost to suicide deserve.

"I made my lad a promise as I stood next to his coffin and this Honour goes some way to making good that promise.

“Much has been achieved in recent years. However, it remains a fact that the suicide rate in this country is still far too high. There is so much still to do and our work continues.”

Everyone at the ZSA extends their congratulations to Steve for this well-deserved Honour.