Mark Martell
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

For the past 15 years I have been a successful trader at a number of London-based funds, thriving off the fast pace and pressure that comes with being at the centre of global financial markets.

Over this period, the excitement was slowly engulfed by stress, anxiety and the struggles of balancing work and family; feelings I know are shared by many people, across all types of industry.

What I needed throughout my career was time with someone unbiased, outside the workplace. The chance to put things in perspective, identify next steps and reconnect with my objectives.

This realisation is what drove us to start AzuraMinds - to provide everyone with that space to stop, assess and care for their minds now.

George Sanders MBACP FDAP
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Working in the City for over 20 years, I have lived through the effects a highly stressful environment can have on one's mental health and well-being.

These experiences led me to take an MSc at London South Bank University in Addiction Psychology & Counselling, qualifying as a Counsellor and Psychotherapist and specialising in employee mental health. I am now pursuing a PhD in this subject; focusing on the effect of stress and pressure in the work environment.

Alongside working in the City, I have 6 years experience in the mental health sector, working at the Priory Hospital, North London, and Steps2Recovery, a charity rehab that offers free treatment.

One of my many motivations for starting AzuraMinds is the chance to utilise these unique combined experiences; so we are genuinely able to empathise with professional realities as well as offer the right support to deal with them.

Chula Goonewardene MBACP BAATN
Co-Founder & Clinical Director

I started my professional journey gaining front-line experience as a practitioner in the statutory, charity and private health care sectors, which developed into the Operational Management and Clinical Supervision of multi-disciplinary teams.

For the last decade, I have provided Clinical Consultancy to various organisations and charities including; The Pocressi Initiative, Music Support and The Centre for Social Justice, which has included the creation of Psychotherapeutic Services under specific briefs and the informing of treatment policy to the UK Government.

Through all of this work, and my experiences as a Psychotherapist in Harley St, I have become increasingly aware of the need for a preventative approach to mental health care.

Sadly, most of my patients are at crisis-point when they first walk into the consulting room, having suffered in silence for significant periods of time, and this is what we plan to change.

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to meet and work with some incredible registered and accredited clinicians, therapists and practitioners. I truly believe by harnessing this network of expertise, quality and dedication, Azrua Minds will connect everyone we work with to significantly better mental health and well-being.

Burak Muslu MSc
Treatment Manager & Assistant Psychologist

Following a successful and life-changing course of psychotherapy at the age of 13, I personally appreciate the countless benefits that mental health and well-being support offers. Receiving such compassionate and non-judgemental support still continues to have a significantly positive influence on my life today.

In 2017, I completed an MSc at Queen Mary University, London in Mental Health: Psychological Therapies, focusing on theory-based learnings to support well-being and prevent mental illness.

Following my degree, I connected with local BAME communities, through IAPT Haringey, to break down stigma associated with mental health and therapy-seeking. I have also worked in the education sector, running and participating in university outreach lectures; raising awareness about the importance of individuals’ seeking support when needed and how best to provide it.

Mental health and well-being affects every single person, every single day, and I have found there is no “one size fits all” approach. By offering the whole spectrum of what it means to be healthy, in mind and body, AzuraMinds can help determine the best way to improve well-being.