Mr. Enault is considered an inspiring and visionary leader. Co-founder and CEO of Intellitix, the world's first company to use RFID technology for access control and payment at major events, he has implemented this technology in major international festivals. He has collaborated with several influential people, including Chelsea Clinton, James Cameron, Richard Branson, Snoop Dogg, Yuval Harari and Steve Wozniak, as part of the events he has produced on various continents. In 2013, he began working with C2 Montréal as COO. He even became CEO Asia-Pacific of C2 International in 2017. Until recently, he was COO of Félix & Paul Studios, an EMMY® award-winning immersive entertainment company. There, he notably worked on the world's first virtual reality capture project in the International Space Station.

Asked about his current involvement in these production and creation circles, he responds:

“I recently helped people in the industry pivot their businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic; I have friends all over the world in the events industry, but I no longer produce shows. When I was building Intellitix, I was working 120-hour weeks. After 4 years, I sold my shares in the company. My mental health had gone to the wayside. I needed to get out. The work was very exciting, but it wasn’t the life I wanted. It wasn’t worth it.”

Mental health

Martin Enault is now involved in a completely different field, without ever denying his professional past, quite the contrary. During a conference or workshop – such as the one he will offer as part of the Inclusive and Participative Leadership Certification Program – he uses his former professional experiences in the world of events to talk about mental illness.

"It entertains the participants and embodies my message. Without being a therapist, I explain what I experienced. It allows people to destigmatize psychological disorders. I then give them tools to integrate a new approach into their business. I must say that I live with bipolarity, anxiety and depression."

Self-management

“Later in my workshop, I talk about self-management, which is quite simple. This idea comes from the CEO of the Relief organization, Jean-Rémy Provost. This is what transformed me. For years, I searched for the best doctors around the globe. I spent a fortune trying to find the best psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors. I asked them to cure, in vain, my anxiety and depression. It infuriated me. I did not have a bipolar diagnosis at the time.

"Self-management involves a process in which you have to become master of what happens to you. You actually have to help someone to help you. Self-management is also a basic toolbox offered to a worker so that he can know how to talk to those around him and learn to live with anxiety, depression or bipolarity."

Some statistics about mental illness in the workplace are alarming. In any given year, one in five Canadians suffers from a mental illness or addiction problem. By the time Canadians reach age 40, one in two has or has had a mental illness (source: Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, or CAMH).

Still according to CAMH sources, the current economic burden of mental illness in Canada is estimated at $51 billion per year. It is estimated that by 2041, it will reach $2,500 billion per year in Canada. In Martin Enault's opinion, businesses are not only impacted by mental illness, but they must be the main actors in a necessary change. In any case, governments and insurance companies will be less and less able to assume the expenses associated with mental illness, according to him.

Healthy workers for a viable business

“In the workplace, managers often think about the financial well-being of the company well before the health of employees. The majority of business failures are caused by bad decisions that prioritize money over individuals. […] That said, we can, we must change that. Performance indicators can, for example, be integrated into companies to monitor the mental health of employees: staff retention, costs associated with long-term sick leave, time off work are some of the indicators.

“It’s essential for businesses to understand what mental illness is. Right now, employee retention is horrible in the business world. Deep transformations need to take place within the business world. Otherwise, companies will hit a wall in about ten years. A sick, exhausted or anxious employee is not profitable for a company. Instead of addressing the problem of mental health, leaders spend a fortune on recruiting. I believe they need to be more compassionate and inclusive. I want to encourage and support these transformations in companies. I want to help business leaders become vigilant, empathetic and caring.”

Martin Enault will be one of the trainers involved in the cohort of the Inclusive and Participative Leadership Certification Program starting October 21. Registration is possible until October 15. Hurry, there are still a few spots available.