Marathon challenge? The companies catering for burnt-out executives Quintessentially has a stake in the business. Their chief executive, Emma Sherrard-Matthews, tells me that "the need for the time-poor to have a trusted, one-stop-shop for all healthcare needs without compromise on service, treatment or care is at an all-time high and is one of our strongest and most frequent requests." They now have a vested interest in sending their clients to Viavi's hands. I asked Chris why the subject needs pushing up the corporate agenda. Companies invest heavily in their workforce - seeking the best person for the job - so he told me that it makes sense that trying to nurture that asset, protect it and ensure it is working as efficiently as possible. It reduces absence and improves productivity. It is for good reason that human capital is often referred to as a company's greatest asset. It is not our employers job to take care of our personal health but in my view, 'investing in people' need not be limited to courses in presentation skills. Rothschild, my alma mater, had a gym in its basement ran by Sona Nuffield Health, where Chris was formerly chief executive. You could question how meaningful that gym was to my well-being but Chris told me that whilst on average, 20pc of people exercise regularly, that figure rises to 30-40pc when there is a gym at a place of work. With so many barriers to health intervention, whilst using it was my choice, the decision to exercise was certainly made easier due to company policy. According to Dr Nigma Talib, a business woman and naturopathic doctor, we spend "the first half of our lives trying to get wealthy and the second half of our lives trying to get healthy." She heralds a new wave of independent practitioners who cater not only for the burnt out City executive suffering from chronic fatigue, digestive issues or sleep problems but also the business person in search of optimal health. Health as a competitive advantage: what's not to get? Your body is composed of tonnes of cells, each of them communicating with each other. What you eat, drink, breath, what supplements you take, what physical and emotional or mental stress you have all affect the way genes express themselves," she said. She evaluates clients and suggests very personal approaches to either curing existing conditions - or better still improving their health. What is health though? An absence of illness? If there is a problem, we will do something about it but if there are recurring niggles and issues, do we not tend to ignore them and hope they will go away? "Optimal health is not just about avoiding cancer," she says. Whether it is due to the awareness of a new generation wanting to be at the top of their game or whether the corporate ladder is increasingly wearing the workforce out, a preventive approach to health would do well to be on both employee and corporate radar. After all, what is the point of a well paid job and money if you can't live to enjoy it?