Do you dare? | The CEO Magazine

There aren’t many occasions when eating a century egg, handling a python or walking on broken glass could be considered good leadership. But this October is one of them.

CEO Dare to Cure is returning to Sydney on 23 October, and Children’s Cancer Institute is inviting more of Australia’s CEOs and business leaders to take part.

The proposition is simple. Participants choose their challenge, rally their professional and personal networks to raise funds and then turn up to face their fears alongside other leaders.

This year, there’s even a “disturbing degustation” featuring a five-course menu of tummy-turning dishes. But whatever the dare, there’s an important distinction – participants have chosen their discomfort and know when it will end.

Children with cancer don’t get to make that choice.

“If there is one charity that you should put at the top of your radar, this is it,” says Chris Dutton, Founder of The CEO Magazine, who’s been daring to cure childhood cancer since 2019.

“When you see kids who have gone through what these children have, it really hits home that this is the event you should support.”

A challenge worth taking

There is plenty of reason for optimism in childhood cancer research. Today, around 85 percent of children diagnosed with cancer survive the disease, an extraordinary improvement made possible by decades of medical research.

But the remaining numbers are difficult to ignore. Around 1,300 children and adolescents in Australia are diagnosed with cancer each year, and three children die from the disease every week.

For some childhood cancers, including certain brain tumors, effective treatment options remain limited. Even survival can come at a considerable cost, with two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors experiencing serious long-term health problems that can persist into adulthood, ranging from organ dysfunction and impaired fertility to neurocognitive problems and secondary cancers.

Children’s Cancer Institute is working to change those outcomes.

As Australia’s only independent medical research institute wholly dedicated to childhood cancer, the Institute brings together more than 370 researchers, operational staff and students over a shared goal: curing every child of cancer.

From ‘ZERO’ to hero

Among its major initiatives is the Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO), led by the Institute in partnership with the clinicians at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.

ZERO is Australia’s first comprehensive precision medicine program for children with cancer, using advanced technology to understand individual cancers and identify more targeted treatment options.

To date, more than 3,500 children with cancer have been enrolled in the program. Every CEO and executive leader who accepts a dare helps to fund research like this.

“We know research is the key to improving outcomes for children with cancer, but we can’t do it alone,” says Professor Louis Chesler, Executive Director Children’s Cancer Institute.

“CEO Dare to Cure is an incredible example of what can happen when the business community comes together behind a common goal.

“We’re calling on Australia’s business leaders to be brave, take on a challenge and help us get closer to our vision of curing every child of cancer.”

Leadership in action

The event has developed a community of leaders who come back each year. Tara Veldman, Managing Director and Principal at Billard Leece Partnership, has taken part in CEO Dare to Cure five times already.

“Every year I am reminded about how far Australia has come in terms of children’s cancer research but also reminded how far we have to go,” she says.

“It really is a team effort, and I encourage all business leaders to step up and face their fears for childhood cancer.”

For Abundium Co-Founder Dani Matthews, the experience also highlights what can happen when leaders come together outside the usual confines of business.

“To other CEOs thinking of getting involved, do it – be the change,” she says. “You’ll get a lot out of this for yourself as well and build a community. I’ve seen a lot of business opportunities happen, but more importantly, it’s legacy.”

Will you take the dare?

Part of what has made CEO Dare to Cure such an enduring event is the strong sense of community. It brings together people accustomed to leading organizations and asks them to use their influence differently.

And there’s still time to join.

CEO Dare to Cure is daring Australia’s business community to come together and use their influence, networks and ability to make a difference in the fight against childhood cancer.

Curing every child of cancer will take researchers, clinicians, families, donors and supporters working together.

And the Institute needs more leaders willing to step forward. So if you’re a CEO or senior business leader wondering whether to participate this year, the invitation is officially extended.

Choose your dare, rally your team and then show up. The dare lasts a day, but the research it helps fund can change a child’s future.

CEO Dare to Cure 2026 takes place on 23 October. CEOs and business leaders are encouraged to register now, take on a dare and raise funds for Children’s Cancer Institute.

Visit ceodaretocure.org.au to register or support a participant today.