The passing of a dear colleague, friend and mentor. 

It is with incredible sadness that we write to announce the death of our dear colleague, Simon Butler. 

Simon was Head of the Wellbeing Accelerator at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) and passed away unexpectedly on Sunday 4th April. 

Simon will be desperately missed by everyone at the AWRC, the wider university and his external networks. He will be especially missed by the team that he led as part of the AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator. 

Simon joined the AWRC as Head of the Wellbeing Accelerator in March 2020, after his success with another programme of innovation at Sheffield Hallam - Grow MedTech. Despite the pandemic, Simon steered the AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator programme to incredible success, supporting innovators locally and globally, which is testament to his stewardship, team leadership, and strong networking abilities. 

The recent AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator showcase event in March, highlighted Simon's work at its best. To the point, on point and with a clear point to make. That is, that the AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator programme had made a substantial impact to those who had engaged and was ready for further investment. His approach to innovation was refreshing and challenging in equal measure, always placing words of recognition at the feet of the team and not himself. Those who worked with him closely, knew that Simon cared about them and that he was there to provide the support so that they could thrive. 

There will be opportunity in the coming days and weeks to share stories and convey condolences and we will share more information about how we plan to do this at the AWRC in due course. For now, our thoughts and prayers remain with his family and close friends at this most difficult of times. 

Best wishes 

Prof. Robert Copeland Director, AWRC, Dr Chris Low  ADBE, HWLS College