GMRI in novel philanthropic fund raising campaign
Rob Cameron
One of New Zealand’s leading investment bankers hopes to raise as much as $10 million to boost the GMRI’s research efforts.
Rob Cameron, who heads Cameron Partners, is one of this country’s most highly-regarded capital markets practitioners.
His remarkable track record includes chairing the Government’s Capital Markets Development Task Force, and assisting the birth of the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund and the Government’s partial privatisation programme.
Made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year’s honours list, Rob is now working closely with the GMRI on a novel philanthropic fund raising programme using capital markets techniques.
His company is talking directly with their extensive network of wealthy people and families who have a philanthropic interest.
“We are adopting the same approach as we would for a private capital raising but in this case the funds we receive will support the GMRI’s leading edge cancer research,” he says.
Rob was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in October 2011 and this has fuelled his interest in supporting the GMRI through the fund raising programme.
“The work Swee and his team at the GMRI are doing is phenomenally important. It’s been labelled a paradigm shift by international experts who know about these things and it’s received worldwide acclaim.
“I believe that Swee and his team are on the road to making discoveries that will lead to a prototype treatment for cancer.”
GMRI Chair, Paul Baines, says this novel approach to fund raising will enable Dr Tan and his team to scale up their research, opening the door to a range of potential discoveries that could have life-changing implications.
“Everyone who knows Swee understands the current value and enormous potential of his team’s research. With sufficient financial support behind him and an appropriately skilled and resourced team working with him, who knows what breakthroughs he and the GMRI could make.”
Paul stresses the primary aim of the fund raising programme is philanthropic, not commercial.
“We want to form relationships with individuals and families who engage with us based on public good outcomes. There may be some scope for commercialisation but that’s well down the track and certainly not our motivation at the moment, nor that of our supporters.”
