World Wellbeing Movement
The World Wellbeing Movement is a UK registered charity founded in 2022 that translates evidence-based wellbeing research from the University of Oxford into practical resources for business leaders and policymakers. It operates a coalition model with corporate members including Indeed, S&P Global, HSBC, Unilever, lululemon, LEGO, McKinsey and the International Baccalaureate, and serves as Secretariat for the APPG on Wellbeing Economics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersOxford, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What World Wellbeing Movement does
The World Wellbeing Movement (WWM) is a UK registered charity (charity number 1208699) and company limited by guarantee, founded in 2022 and headquartered at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford. It is a social-impact coalition co-founded by Prof Lord Richard Layard and Prof Jan-Emmanuel De Neve that translates evidence-based wellbeing research from Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre into practical resources for corporate decision-makers and policymakers. Its core knowledge products are the Work Wellbeing Playbook (an open-access, peer-reviewed summary of workplace wellbeing interventions organised into six driver categories and licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, co-developed with founding member Indeed), the annual UK Wellbeing Report series analysing Office for National Statistics wellbeing data, the Working on Wellbeing podcast (three seasons, 26 episodes), and a quarterly research newsletter. Underlying capability comes from the Oxford partnership, the Indeed workplace wellbeing study (over 17 million surveys), and S&P Global's integration of WWM-championed wellbeing questions into its Corporate Sustainability Assessment reaching more than 13,000 organisations annually.
WWM operates a non-profit, coalition-driven go-to-market: it does not sell software or charge for its open-access resources. Revenue is generated through a structured membership programme with Founding, Premium, Standard and Associate tiers for corporate and philanthropic supporters, alongside individual donations and targeted grants (e.g., the Bloom Wellbeing Fund grant that funded its Head of Policy and Public Affairs role). Its primary customer segments are business leaders (CEOs, CHROs, CFOs integrating wellbeing metrics into ESG reporting), UK and international policymakers (it serves as Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics from July 2025), academic researchers at the Wellbeing Research Centre, and a broader audience of individual donors and resource users. Distribution blends self-serve open-access downloads with field-based engagement via the Advisory Council (15+ global organisations including HSBC, Unilever, lululemon and the LEGO Group), the APPG secretariat function, and earned media through the podcast and press coverage.
The organisation is intentionally lean — approximately 6 to 10 people — and relies on the Oxford institutional platform and its corporate coalition for reach. In May 2026 it transitioned from its founding Managing Director Sarah Cunningham (now Chair of the Expert Group on Work Wellbeing) to Acting Director Ben Wealthy, reflecting organisational maturation rather than a strategic pivot; recent awards (InsideOut Social Impact award, Behind the Scenes Champion for Charlotte Day, Future Leader for Jonathan Whitney) signal external recognition that the charity is converting into member recruitment and policy influence.
World Wellbeing Movement firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- World Wellbeing Movement
- Legal name
- World Wellbeing Movement Ltd
- Website
- https://worldwellbeingmovement.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The World Wellbeing Movement is a UK registered charity founded in 2022 that translates evidence-based wellbeing research from the University of Oxford into practical resources for business leaders and policymakers. It operates a coalition model with corporate members including Indeed, S&P Global, HSBC, Unilever, lululemon, LEGO, McKinsey and the International Baccalaureate, and serves as Secretariat for the APPG on Wellbeing Economics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
World Wellbeing Movement industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wellbeing Research and Advocacy
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mental Wellness & Resilience Education (Non-clinical) (EDAAAHAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Workplace Wellness & Wellbeing Education (EDAAAHAN)
Keywords
Where World Wellbeing Movement is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oxford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
World Wellbeing Movement business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Corporate and Philanthropic Membership/Dona: The WWM operates as a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1208699). Funding comes from corporate and philanthropic members, and individual donors. As stated on their website, 'every penny of funding we receive is used in pursuit of our objectives.' They offer membership tiers (Founding, Premium, Standard, Associate) for organisations and accept individual donations.
- Corporate Grants: The organisation receives grants from corporate supporters including the Bloom Wellbeing Fund (which funded the Head of Policy and Public Affairs role), and support from companies like S&P Global for podcast seasons.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Open-access resources at no cost |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
World Wellbeing Movement product offering
Product offeringCore offering
World Wellbeing Movement is a UK-registered charity and non-profit coalition that translates academic wellbeing research from the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre into practical resources for business and policy decision-makers. Its core offerings include the open-access Work Wellbeing Playbook of evidence-based interventions, the annual UK Wellbeing Report, a podcast, a newsletter, and insights publications, all delivered free of charge and supported by corporate and philanthropic memberships.
Product overview
The World Wellbeing Movement is a social impact organization and registered charity that operates as a coalition of global leaders from business, civil society, and academia. Their portfolio consists primarily of knowledge products and research resources: the Work Wellbeing Playbook (a science-based workplace wellbeing guide developed with Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre and Indeed), the annual UK Wellbeing Report series analyzing population wellbeing data, the Working on Wellbeing Podcast featuring expert interviews, and The World of Wellbeing newsletter providing quarterly research updates. Additional offerings include insight publications on measuring and improving wellbeing, and secretariat support for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics. The organization does not offer a technology platform or software product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Work Wellbeing Playbook: A science-based guide summarising evidence-backed interventions for improving workplace wellbeing, created in partnership with the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and Indeed.
- Working on Wellbeing Podcast
Products and services
- Work Wellbeing Playbook
Quantifiable outcome
- 12% productivity increase per one-point increase in employee happiness (randomised control trial with BT call centre employees)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use World Wellbeing Movement
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
World Wellbeing Movement technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
World Wellbeing Movement partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing EconomicscoreWWM serves as Secretariat for the APPG on Wellbeing Economics, promoting evidence-based approaches to improve wellbeing in UK policy. The APPG was originally formed in 2009 and reconstituted in 2025, with WWM taking over the Secretariat role previously held by New Economics Foundation and What Works Centre for Wellbeing.
- S&P GlobalcoreS&P Global partnered with WWM to include employee wellbeing questions in their Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), sent to 13,000+ organisations annually. This major achievement helps drive standardised wellbeing measurement in corporate ESG reporting. S&P Global also supported Working on Wellbeing podcast seasons 2 and 3.
- Wellbeing Research Centre, University of OxfordcoreThe Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford is WWM's lead academic partner and the organisation is housed within the Centre. This partnership provides the rigorous academic foundation for all WWM work, translating Oxford wellbeing research into real-world impact. Prof Jan-Emmanuel De Neve serves as Director of both the Centre and co-founder of WWM.
- IndeedcoreIndeed is a founding member of WWM. They partnered on the world's largest workplace wellbeing study (17M+ surveys) and co-developed the Work Wellbeing Playbook. Indeed also supported seasons of the Working on Wellbeing podcast. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve guides development of Indeed's workplace wellbeing research.
- McKinsey Health InstitutesecondaryMcKinsey Health Institute (MHI) conducted research on employee burnout and turnover referenced by WWM. Barbara Jeffery, Partner at McKinsey and affiliated partner with MHI, leads on Employee Health and Wellbeing at MHI and serves on WWM Board of Directors. MHI research shows burned out employees are 6x more likely to want to leave.
- WOHASU / World Happiness SummitsecondaryKaren Guggenheim, Founder and CEO of WOHASU and World Happiness Summit, serves on WWM Board of Directors. WWM participated in the World Happiness Summit in London, and Karen appeared on Working on Wellbeing podcast to celebrate launch of her book 'Cultivating Happiness'.
- Action for HappinesssecondaryCo-founded by Richard Layard along with WWM. Kate Thompson serves on board of both WWM and Action for Happiness. Shared mission of promoting wellbeing and happiness through evidence-based approaches.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
World Wellbeing Movement competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- World Happiness Summit (WOHASU): Global wellbeing movement and summit series with overlapping board representation (Karen Guggenheim sits on both boards); comparable in convening business, academic, and policy leaders around wellbeing.
- Action for Happiness: UK-based charitable movement co-founded by Lord Richard Layard to promote happiness and wellbeing, with overlapping founders, board members (Kate Thompson), and a near-identical evidence-based approach to translating wellbeing science for individuals and organizations.
- New Economics Foundation: UK think tank pioneering wellbeing economics, GDP alternatives, and the Happy Planet Index; previously held the APPG on Wellbeing Economics secretariat and serves an overlapping UK policy audience.
- Happiness Research Institute: Denmark-based independent think tank producing wellbeing research and policy advice for governments and businesses; comparable mission of translating quality-of-life research into measurable societal change.
- What Works Centre for Wellbeing: UK evidence centre synthesizing wellbeing research for policy and practice; directly comparable in mission and audience, and the organization WWM effectively succeeded as APPG Secretariat for wellbeing economics.
Broad incumbents
- Deloitte Human Capital / Wellbeing Research: Deloitte's £56bn UK mental health cost study is cited by WWM; comparable in producing widely used workplace wellbeing data and advising large employers, but at significantly greater scale and as part of a global consulting firm.
- OECD Better Life Initiative: OECD's flagship wellbeing measurement programme providing internationally comparable wellbeing indicators; comparable in pushing standardized wellbeing metrics into government decision-making at greater scale.
- Gallup: Global analytics firm with the dominant employee engagement and wellbeing survey business; comparable through workplace wellbeing measurement, research outputs, and corporate advisory, but operating as a large commercial incumbent.
- McKinsey Health Institute: McKinsey's permanent health institute producing research on employee burnout, turnover, and wellbeing; sits on WWM's Board via Barbara Jeffery and produces overlapping workplace wellbeing evidence used by WWM.
Emerging players
- Centre for Economic Performance, LSE: Academic research centre where Lord Richard Layard is based and which has driven UK wellbeing economics research for two decades; comparable as a research-to-policy translator with overlapping principal investigators.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
World Wellbeing Movement social profiles
Digital presenceWorld Wellbeing Movement financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
World Wellbeing Movement leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
World Wellbeing Movement funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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World Wellbeing Movement M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about World Wellbeing Movement
What does World Wellbeing Movement do?
World Wellbeing Movement is a UK-registered charity and non-profit coalition that translates academic wellbeing research from the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre into practical resources for business and policy decision-makers. Its core offerings include the open-access Work Wellbeing Playbook of evidence-based interventions, the annual UK Wellbeing Report, a podcast, a newsletter, and insights publications, all delivered free of charge and supported by corporate and philanthropic memberships.
Is World Wellbeing Movement a public or private company?
World Wellbeing Movement is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was World Wellbeing Movement founded?
World Wellbeing Movement was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is World Wellbeing Movement based?
World Wellbeing Movement is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does World Wellbeing Movement make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Corporate and Philanthropic Membership/Dona is the primary driver. The others are corporate Grants.
Who are World Wellbeing Movement's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are World Happiness Summit (WOHASU), Action for Happiness, New Economics Foundation, Happiness Research Institute and What Works Centre for Wellbeing. Broad incumbents are Deloitte Human Capital / Wellbeing Research, OECD Better Life Initiative, Gallup and McKinsey Health Institute. Centre for Economic Performance, LSE is listed as an emerging player.
Does World Wellbeing Movement have an API?
No public API is recorded for World Wellbeing Movement.
What industry is World Wellbeing Movement in?
World Wellbeing Movement's product category is Wellbeing Research and Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAHAK, Mental Wellness & Resilience Education (Non-clinical), with a secondary code of EDAAAHAN, Workplace Wellness & Wellbeing Education. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8300.