Cure Leukaemia campaigning to be put out of business.
The Chief Executive of Birmingham-based charity Cure Leukaemia, James McLaughlin, has put out a call to business leaders and organisations across the West Midlands to sign up to a ‘mission possible’ to put him out of a job, and the blood cancer charity out of business.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, Paul Faulkner, Chief Executive of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Calum Nisbet, Regional Director for the IoD West Midlands and Lareena Hilton, Global Head of Brand, Communications and CSR for Deutsche Bank, have all pledged their support for the ambitious Put Us Out of Business campaign, to accelerate the search for a cure of the illness within the next ffiteen years.
The region’s business community are invited to attend the campaign launch on Tuesday June 11th from 6pm, at KPMG Birmingham. Guests will hear from a range of speakers including Professor Charlie Craddock CBE, co-founder of Cure Leukaemia, Andy Street CBE and Neil Rami, Chief Executive of West Midlands Growth Company. Deutsche Bank’s Lareena Hilton and Paul Anderson will detail the bank’s two-year partnership with the charity, which is estimated to deliver over £2 million in funds by the end of the year.
Talking about the campaign, James McLaughlin said: “It’s not every day that the Chief Executive of an organisation, let alone a charity, issues a call to be put out of business, but for us that means we will have achieved our ultimate goal and succeeded in helping find a cure for this dreadful disease. In the UK, one person is diagnosed with blood cancer every 14 minutes and it is the third biggest cancer killer, yet a wave of innovative new treatments and trials have the potential to reduce these statistics and ultimately eradicate all forms of blood cancer.
“We’re launching Put Us Out of Business to stand out and be bold. We’ve seen so many examples where individuals and organisations support us only after something has sadly happened to them, or someone they know, but to truly make a difference this approach has to change.
“When it comes to fighting cancer we need to be proactive, not reactive. With Deutsche Bank and our other corporate supporters we’ve seen what proactive partnerships can achieve, when funds can be channelled to enable Professor Craddock and his team to plan for the longer term as with any other business. With this approach, and the backing of the region’s corporate community, the quest for a cure can become a reality.”
Commenting on the campaign, Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Cure Leukaemia is a regional success story that makes a life-changing difference on a global stage.
“I am proud to be supporting the work of this pioneering charity, as Professor Charlie Craddock and his team work to accelerate the search for a cure.”
Paul Faulkner, Chief Executive of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Trustee of Cure Leukaemia added: “I would whole-heartedly encourage businesses of any size from across our city, region and beyond to consider pledging their support, in any way, shape or form, and be part of a vision that ultimately finds a cure.”
To find out more or to register to attend the Put Us Out of Business launch, visit www.putusoutofbusiness.co.uk