Todd Harper

As Cancer Council Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Todd Harper has a passion for the organisation’s important work in research, prevention and support.

For three decades, he has been dedicated 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, alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, HIV/AIDS, cancer, discrimination and violence. Since 2011, as Cancer Council Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer, 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, epidemiological studies to identify the causes of cancer, and biomedical research to improve treatment for low survival cancers.

Cancer Council also hosts the Victorian Cancer Registry – the timeliest registry in the world, which has, for the first time, published data on cancer amongst Aboriginal people.

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.

During Todd’s leadership, the not-for-profit organisation has been at the forefront of bans on solariums and educational campaigns around junk food, alcohol and smoking. In 2017 it launched the state’s largest ever bowel screening awareness campaign.

To support patients, Cancer Council has developed a Wig Service and a Holiday Break Program, together with evidenced-based optimal care pathways and reforms to improve access to clinical trials.

During his time as CEO of VicHealth, the organisation developed programs to address violence against women, alcohol harms, sedentary environments, promoted workplace health and expanded economic evidence of primary prevention programs.

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

Todd has a bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Postgraduate diploma in Health Promotion, and a Master Degree in Health Economics. He was recently 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’.