Blackburn businessman Lee Chambers launches Male Allies UK

Lee Chambers, the founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, has recently launched Male Allies UK, an organisation focused on allyship in the workplace and inclusive leadership.

Having recently won a number of awards for his work in the wellbeing space with Essentialise, Mr Chambers has started this new venture with the desire to bring the same level of effective change in supporting leaders to be more inclusive.

As an organisation, Male Allies UK will be representing a national drive for active allyship from the centre of Lancashire and will be providing training to organisations and institutions.

Lee Chambers (Image: Lee Chambers)

They will also be a part of allyship research with several American universities, and will be supporting young men in higher education to express their version of positive masculinity.

For Mr Chambers, a big part of the formation of Male Allies UK sits in his desire to bring men together in the North, tackling some of the challenges that men face in society that stops them from being active allies for gender equity, equal parenting and opening up about mental health.

While he often speaks about the topic, there is an importance in men understanding subjects like misogyny and menopause, as they also have an impact on men and their lives.

Mr Chambers said: "As men, we need to be allies for ourselves and each other, and use this as a platform to make the world a fairer place for everyone.

“We have the ability to create positive change when we become active allies and collaborate with women to make our workplaces better.

“It can be hard for men to engage in inclusion initiatives, because it can feel like there is nothing for them, and they don't want to say the wrong thing.

“But being an ally is an empowering place to be, and instead of feeling that we are losing out, we can create more opportunities together."

While Male Allies UK might have only just launched, they are already working with a range of high-profile organisations supporting them through training, speaking and community building.

With the economic climate being challenging, starting a new venture always has a level of risk. But Mr Chambers is ready to step up, adding: "Allyship is the new leadership, and there is no better time to get active and start making a difference."