Meet our team
EXECUTIVE TEAM
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Kerry Strydom
Chief Executive Officer
Kerry brings passion and commitment to lead the small team for high impact. She calls on experience from her corporate career which spanned business functions and international locations, including over a decade in clinical research. Kerry is now dedicated to advancing pioneering cancer research, bringing new solutions to people impacted by cancer.
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Cheryl Riddington
Executive Assistant
Cheryl is the executive assistant and ACRF office manager. She ably coordinates the grant application process, governance, and keeps the office humming and happy. Cheryl is inspired by the real difference that ACRF is making, the world-class standard of grants, and the humbling stories our supporters share with us.
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Siddique Abu
Accountant
Siddique is the ACRF Accountant, conducting financial transactions, reporting and performance analysis.
Siddique finds contentment in bringing together his professional skills as an accountant and relationships to help fund world-class cancer research.
DONOR ENGAGEMENT TEAM
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Emma Vincent
Head of Donor Engagement
Emma has worked in fundraising across different Australian charities and agencies for almost 20 years, with a specialised focus in individual giving, philanthropy and donor engagement. She has a passion for creating integrated fundraising campaigns and sharing stories that emphasise how vital our supporters are in helping to bring us closer to a world without cancer. Emma leads a dedicated team at ACRF that work closely with our generous donors to help Back Brilliant cancer research.
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Victoria Bonsey
Philanthropy Manager - National Lead
Victoria brings considerable philanthropy expertise to team ACRF. With a love for making a lasting, positive impact on Australian communities, she has over 20 years of experience working in charities. Victoria’s aptitude for relationship management helps individuals, or trusts and foundations find a suitable fit for their donations, in turn helping to back brilliant ideas which help save lives.
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Liz Wilson
Philanthropy and Engagement Manager
Liz has worked for not-for-profit organisations in the arts and health for many years. She has a passion for working in areas that provide meaningful engagement with the community and seeks to engage with people to make a positive change. In her role, Liz manages estates with bequests to ACRF and assists our amazing donors who choose to honour ACRF with a gift in their Will.
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Belinda Patton
Donor Engagement Coordinator
After working in the corporate sector for many years, Belinda transitioned into the not-for-profit sector with a desire to give back and drive meaningful change. Belinda brings over 15 years experience in donor engagement, individual and planned giving to her role. Belinda is passionate about connecting with donors and making sure they feel supported in backing brilliant research to help us one day reach a world without cancer.
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Anna Stoddart
Donor Engagement Assistant
Anna supports ACRF's donor relations team, connecting one-on-one with our valued donors and ensuring they feel thanked and appreciated for their contributions. She loves the opportunity to listen to our supporters' stories and is passionate about sharing our work with them. Anna is inspired by how far we've come as an organisation, and the monumental outcomes in cancer research made possible by our wonderful donors.
PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING TEAM
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Lisa Herden
Head of Partnerships and Community Fundraising
With more than 20 years of experience in partnerships, marketing, and communications across the not for profit and corporate sectors, Lisa is a dynamic leader who builds strong sustainable stakeholder relationships to drive brand, fundraising, revenue, and community engagement outcomes. Lisa has a successful track record in the creation and implementation of partnership fundraising strategies and campaigns and is motivated to have a positive impact on people and the community through her work.
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Lara El-Eter
Senior Community Fundraising Coordinator
Lara is an experienced fundraising professional with a background in community engagement, fundraising and events in the for-purpose sector. She is driven by the opportunity to connect the wider community towards raising funds and awareness for cancer research. She is passionate about making real, lasting differences to those impacted by cancer, and knows how vital our supporters are to help reach a world without cancer.
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Sarah Hawkesford
Senior Partnerships Coordinator
Sarah brings her experience in marketing and fundraising to support and drive partnerships at ACRF. She enjoys working closely with organisations to harness the power of partnerships and build and maintain relationships focused around taking actions that will benefit society. With the support and commitment of our partners, we can continue to back brilliant cancer research.
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Isabella Hill
Partnerships Coordinator
Isabella works with a focus on Corporate Fundraising Activities and Workplace Giving Initiatives. At ACRF, Isabella works to build and maintain relationships with all different types of organisations across Australia. She is passionate about Corporate Social Responsibility and informing current and future partners of the incredible, groundbreaking research we fund and the tangible benefit of working with us.
SUPPORTER SERVICE AND DATA OPERATIONS TEAM
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Deborah Warner
Head of Supporter Service and Data Operations
Deborah manages the ACRF’s fundraising appeals and our database. She loves nothing more than developing appeal campaigns that inspire and motivate existing and new supporters. The beauty of Deborah’s role is that it brings out the best in both sides of her personality: her social side enjoys communicating with our loyal and regular supporters, whilst her ‘geeky’ side loves poring over data and numbers in our database, Salesforce.
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Michael Ow
Salesforce & Systems Lead
Michael provides support to team ACRF regarding Salesforce and data, including training and troubleshooting system requirements. He's process-driven and passionate about efficiency and getting the team working effectively with information and various systems. Michael empowers the team to help show our generous donors the impact they are making.
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Anney Trinh
Donations Administrator
Anney finds happiness processing data and is motivated by the generosity of our loyal supporters. With a keen eye for numbers, Anney processes donations and provides administrative support to our generous donors.
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Sam Warren
Donations Administrator
Sam supports the team at ACRF through administrative duties including processing donations and being a first point of contact for donor enquiries. He brings his experience working in the for-purpose sector and with community engagement, to assist our donors who inspire him with their generosity in backing lifesaving cancer research.
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Kaitlin Riddington
Donor Admin Assistant
Kaitlin enjoys assisting Team ACRF to help make a difference in the lives of people with cancer. Kaitlin is inspired by the vital research that is being funded into all cancers thanks to the support of our donors.
Marketing, Communications and Digital Team
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Carly du Toit
Head of Marketing, Communications and Digital
Carly leads the marketing and communications activity at ACRF. She’s passionate about delivering engaging, outcomes-focused donor communications and helping tell the stories of all the people who contribute to the extraordinary world of ACRF. Carly has the privilege of building ongoing relationships with our grant recipients and seeing firsthand the impact of our supporters' generous contributions.
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Isabelle Dunster
Senior Communications & Content Coordinator
Isabelle supports the marketing and communications team at ACRF. With a background in Public Relations, she enjoys sharing ACRF's story through social media, events and strategic marketing initiatives. Isabelle is motivated by the impact of ACRF's commitment to accelerating cancer research.
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Stephanie Chandler
Marketing & Digital Coordinator
Steph loves to support and work in the marketing and communications team at ACRF. With previous experience in not-for-profits, she enjoys working to make an impact, and creating meaningful difference. Steph is motivated by ACRFs commitment to funding cancer research, and is gratified that she can help support this everyday.
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Sarah Holmes
Graphic Designer
Sarah is a passionate and creative graphic designer. She supports team ACRF by bringing the brand to life through meaningful, impactful, and original visual communications. Sarah is excited to bring the brilliant stories of ACRF to the main stage and showcase the impact of donor support.
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Rachael Murphy
Marketing Coordinator
Rachael is proud to support the ACRF Marketing and Communications team. Drawing from her experience in the events and marketing industry, she aspires to captivate the loyal supporters of ACRF by organising compelling fundraising events and breathing life into the ACRF brand through meaningful and captivating communication.