Retail CEOs will join the 2016 Vinnies CEO sleepout on June 23 to combat the issue of homelessness in Australia.
Julie Stevanja, CEO of online fashion retailer Stylerunner; Richard Hinson, GM QNN, Metcash Food and Grocery QLD; Grant Hinchcliffe, CEO Tasmanian IGA and Holly Kramer, non-executive director, Woolworths have all joined this year donation campaign to help provide relief to people in crisis and poverty.
Business partners and members of the Lagardère travel retail group have also teamed up with book publishers Hachette Austalia and New Zealand to target raising $15,000 to assist Vinnies.
Matthieu Mercier, CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail, will represent the company in Sydney while Shane Minors, regional manager, will represent the company in Queensland. The managing directors of Hachette ANZ, Louise Sherwin-Stark and Justin Ractliffe, will also be spending the night in Sydney.
“My experiences in the CEO Sleepout are so valuable to me, as they have given a brief glimpse into what it must truly feel like to roll out a sleeping bag and settle in on the street for the night, while watching others head back to their homes and families,” said Mercier, who will be joining the sleepout for the third time.
“In the years that I have participated in the CEO Sleepout, I have been continually impressed by the amount of support that our employees and business partners have given to this initiative. It’s clearly a cause that everybody embraces, and the team effort we all put into this event makes it all the more worthwhile.”
Peter Maher, CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland, said the Vinnies CEO Sleepout is a great opportunity for business, community and government leaders to come together to make a real difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate.
Vinnies provides crisis accommodation to individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as advocacy support, budgeting services, living skills programs, emergency relief, transitional housing and access to programs that help rebuild lives.
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