Across New South Wales, an estimated 56,936 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. More than 40 per cent of new cancer cases occur among Australians of working age.
These statistics make for confronting reading. They may seem intractable. But they needn’t be due to the great work of the Cancer Council and Publicis Groupe.
The Daffodil Day is the Council’s iconic, much-loved fundraising campaign and has been running for 40 years. This year, the Council is aiming to raise more than $5.5 million across Australia.
The Daffodil Day Dip is just one of the means it has for fundraising and awareness. It sees Aussies take an icy plunge into an ice bath, river, lake or the ocean to raise funds to support the Cancer Council and its life-saving research.
And, this year, B&T had the honour(?) of taking the plunge with Matt Turl, CEO of Spark Foundry, and Maurice Riley, Publicis Groupe’s chief data officer, for an unforgettable interview.
@bandt.com.au CEOs in hot water? Nope, ice water. For a very good cause 🧊🧊@CCA @publicisgroupeanz #daffodilday #publicisgroupe #cancercouncil #icebath #interview ♬ sonido original – electronico22
After Turl had dried off and warmed up, we spoke with him and Naomi Watson, director of marketing and fundraising at Cancer Council NSW, to find out why their partnership is so important.
@bandt.com.au A cold dip for a warm cause. Naomi Watson, director of marketing and fundraising at Cancer Council NSW and Matt Turle CEO of Spark Foundry on why Daffodil Day is so important 🌼 @Cancer Council NSW @publicisgroupeanz #daffodilday #cancercouncil #publicisgroupe #sparkfoundry #interview ♬ original sound – Red Mist
In February 2024, Cancer Council partnered with Publicis Groupe as a national strategic partner for its Working With Cancer Initiative. It aims to build a supportive workplace for people living with cancer. The partnership focuses on activating the Working With Cancer pledge within Australian workplaces.
The pledge requires organisations to declare their intent to improve cancer support for their employees, follow up with cultural and organisational actions and put plans in place to raise awareness of the support they offer to their teams, breaking the stigma of cancer in the workplace.
Ultimately, each pledge consists of initiatives to ensure a smooth transition back to work, ongoing support, and fostering a culture of understanding and empathy.
In January 2023, Publicis Groupe’s global Working with Cancer initiative was established. The pledge encouraged employers across the globe to build recovery-forward workplaces by proactively supporting employees impacted by cancer or other serious illness.
In April 2022, Publicis global CEO Arthur Sadoun was diagnosed and treated for cancer. After making his condition public, he received thousands of testimonies that exposed the fear those with cancer experienced, not only for their lives, but also for their jobs.
Publicis Groupe told B&T it is committed to supporting employees diagnosed with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses through job security (with full pay for the first year of diagnosis), paid leave, flexible work options, and access to mental health services.
The policy also extends support to caregivers, ensuring a compassionate, stigma-free workplace where individuals feel empowered and protected throughout their treatment and recovery.
