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CEO - Todd Harper AM

BEc (Tasmania), PostGradDipHlthProm (Curtin), MHlthEc (Curtin), Hon Doc (Deakin), GAICD

Cancer Council Victoria CEO, Todd Harper

For three decades, Todd Harper has dedicated himself to public health as a leader within Cancer Council Victoria, Quit Victoria, VicHealth and the Tasmanian AIDS Council.

He has led advocacy and mass media communication campaigns to prevent harms from tobacco, sedentary lifestyle, HIV/AIDS, cancer, discrimination and violence. As Cancer Council Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer since 2011, Todd has steered the organisation’s important work in cancer research, prevention, support and advocacy.

During this time Cancer Council has led research initiatives in tobacco plain packaging and epidemiological studies to identify the causes of cancer, and biomedical research to improve treatment for low survival cancers.

Cancer Council hosts the Victorian Cancer Registry – the timeliest registry in the world, recognised as an innovative leader in the collection and provision of data for cancer control nationally and internationally.

In 2011, Cancer Council created the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer – a world-first initiative to bring legal experts together to provide resources for governments from low and middle income countries to implement change to assist patients both here and overseas. The centre is the only one of its kind in the world that uses law to prevent cancer and to protect people affected by it.

During Todd’s leadership, Cancer Council Victoria has been at the forefront of bans on solariums, and educational campaigns around junk food,  smoking and more recently, vaping. In 2017 the non-profit organisation launched the state’s largest ever bowel screening awareness campaign and is now leading the charge to better connect cancer patients with supportive care, advocate for stronger controls on all e-cigarette products and to eliminate cervical cancer in Victoria by 2030.

As Executive Director of Quit from 1999 to 2007, Todd helped drive tobacco advertising and labelling law reforms, smokefree laws and bans on tobacco display, as well as the design, implementation and evaluation of award-winning media campaigns.

Todd has a Bachelor of Economics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion, and a Master of Health Economics. In 2018, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Deakin University for ‘outstanding contributions and commitment to public health and for willingness to be innovative and brave in advocating for public health.'

Todd was a board member and is a former board president of the NCD Alliance based in Geneva.

In June 2022 Todd was appointed a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to cancer support programs, and to medical governance.

You can follow Todd Harper AM on LinkedIn