Poppy Jaman

Poppy Sultana Jaman (; born 4 September 1976) is a Bangladeshi civil servant, mental health advocate, and the CEO and founding member of Mental Health First Aid England (MHFAE).

Early life Jaman is a third-generation British Bangladeshi who grew up in a traditional Bangladeshi household in Portsmouth and left school at the age of 16 with GCSEs and had an arranged marriage at 17. At the age of 20, her first daughter was born, and shortly after this she developed post-natal depression and anxiety. Eventually she ended her marriage and became a single mother.

As a child, Jaman wanted to become an electronics engineer. Jaman started out as a community development worker in Portsmouth and then joined the Department of Health.

In 2009, while working for the Department of Health, Jaman completed her MBA at the University of Portsmouth. She also has a Post Graduate Diploma in Executive Coaching.

Personal life In 2017, Jaman married her partner of seven years. She lives in East Sussex with her husband and their four children.

Jaman has cited her experience of depression as a young woman, growing up in a deprived ward in Portsmouth and leaving school at 16 (although she later got an MBA) helped her to develop an understanding of the challenges facing people with mental health problems, especially among diverse groups.