The Human Aspect Founder awarded Leadership Excellence Award
- Victorya Lunde
- Dec 15, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 27, 2025
Every year eMHIC acknowledges award recipients from member countries to receive national, global and lifetime achievement awards recognising their exceptional contribution to the Digital Mental Health domain by demonstrating noteworthy leadership to implement Digital Mental Health solutions at scale.
The jury stated this as their reasoning for the award, read out by Brigitte Truong:
"From a childhood marked by isolation and suicidality, this leader created a platform that shares structured video stories of how people face and overcome mental health challenges through The Human Aspect foundation and its life experience library.
Thousands of real relatable experiences are reaching young people in schools, services, and online communities, meeting them where they are. - I love that - With honesty and empathy, the project has expanded globally, adapted to low resource settings, and now partners with policy makers, academics, and to embed lived experience into mental health systems for transforming vulnerability into strength and isolation into connection.
The leadership excellence award for Norway goes to Jimmy Westerheim."
The award was handed to Jimmy on stage in Toronto, by eMHIC founder Anil Thapliyal.
Jimmy Westerheim, THA founder:
“To be honored with the Leadership Excellence Award in front of a full hall with 750 of the pioneers, Mental Health professionals, lived experience role models and fellow entrepreneurs from more than 44 countries still feels unreal.
This is a huge motivation for me and the entire team, but also the hundreds of people that contributed to our work over the last 9 years, since going to the streets with an idea in 2016.
My journey with The Human Aspect did not start in chase of global awards, it started with the universe leading me on this path, but being recognized by eMental Health International Collaborative (eMHIC) - an organization leading the way in our field, is beyond an honor.”
Jimmy Westerheim, THA founder:
“Attending this 10th Digital Mental Health Global Congress to speak and be part of a panel was honor enough, so receiving this award is received with extra gratefulness.
I was simply amazed by the beautiful, important, inspiring and great work showcased throughout the congress, from around the world. This helps me and us in THA see how we together reinforce our mental health systems with digital power and real humans, to reach people facing a life challenge in the land of stigma, loneliness and lack of access.
During what was my first congress in Toronto, I have met new friends, found new collaborators, partners and inspiration to bring back home to the team as we continue our work at The Human Aspect.
A special thank you to Anil Thapliyal for being the driver of this amazing network and congress, but also for believing in us and me as a leader and to Nicky White, Kim Mundell and their team for being the champion behind the smooth Congress”.
If you are curious to see Jimmy’s session, the panel on systems integration he participated in or any of the session during the 10th eMHIC congress, you can find the on demand library here.
The eMental health International Collaborative (eMHIC) is the global peak body for digital mental health implementation. eMIHC aims to improve mental health outcomes for all by harnessing digital technologies and was started as a working group in 2011. Initiated by Anil Thapliyal, it started with a group of senior mental health leaders writing a white paper entitled “eTherapies” for the Board of the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL). Over the next years it was globally expanded and in 2015 it was founded as a global entity with the support of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Health Promotion Agency of New Zealand, National Mental Health Commission of Australia and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and regions. Followed by the first eMHIC congress in 2016, a global meeting for leaders in digital mental health implementation, held annually in subsequent years with it’s 10th global congress in Toronto in 2025.
Learn more about their work and collaboratory achievements here.