About Us
Celebrating 30 years of funding vital breast cancer resources, care, and support.
What is Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation?
Established in 1995, by a group of passionate doctors, surgeons and advocates committed to supporting breast cancer patients by raising much-needed funds in support of clinical education, state of the art technology, compassionate care, awareness and patient centric research.
OUR VISION
Beating Breast Cancer Together
OUR MISSION
To improve the early detection of breast cancer, and the quality of life and survival rates of breast cancer patients across Australia
OUR VALUES
Inspirational, compassionate, understanding, community minded, high integrity, respectful
The Pillars
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Awareness
SBCF increases awareness of breast cancer by educating the community and encouraging women to be proactive in self-examination through the distribution of breast check shower cards both nationally and internationally. Early detection is vital to increasing survival rates.
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Support
SBCF provides support to breast care patients and their families through the provision of information, funding breast cancer nurses, as well as compassionate care funding, and much needed patient support programs within the wider community.
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Research
SBCF funds patient focused breast cancer research, including impactful research and fellowships. Research plays a crucial role in reducing the burden of breast cancer by improving prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship outcomes.
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Treatment
SBCF provides funding to Breast Units across NSW to help it to provide the best possible treatment and care for patients including funding training and state-of-the-art medical equipment, and wholistic patient programs.
The Team
Our foundation team of passionate individuals comprises of 7 voluntary Board members, one full-time Foundation Manager, a part-time Event Manager and 5 subcommittee members who also volunteer their valuable time to advise the Foundation.
Volunteers
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Lynne Crookes OAM
Lynne is a two-time breast cancer survivor who has championed the cause since 1999, serving as President and now Chair of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation. Awarded an OAM in 2005, she remains deeply involved in health, arts, and philanthropic initiatives through her family foundation and community work.
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Deborah West
Deborah is Co-Founder and Director of SydneySlice and also serves as a Director of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation. A former corporate lawyer with First Class Honours in Economics and Law from Sydney University, she launched SydneySlice in 2000.
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Renae Lopez
Renae is a Healthcare Executive with global experience in business growth, market expansion, and strategic partnerships. As a Director of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation, she’s driven by a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and creating meaningful change in healthcare.
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Lucy Vecchio
Lucy is CEO of Rachel Gilbert and a Director of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation, with a career spanning law, luxury retail, and corporate leadership. She brings deep expertise in fashion, stakeholder management, and business strategy across Australia and Hong Kong.
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Laura Durkan
Laura is Chief People Officer at Harris Farm Markets and a Director of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation since 2018. A passionate executive leader, she specialises in People, Culture, and Strategy, helping organisations drive performance and strengthen their employer brand.
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Miriam Stiel
Miriam is a Director of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation and Practice Leader at Allens, specialising in intellectual property law. With over 25 years’ experience, she advises major brands on IP strategy, litigation, and brand protection, and has served on multiple not-for-profit boards.
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Simon Murray
Simon is a Director of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation and a senior leader at CommBank, where he drives digital and tech transformation in retail credit risk. With 20 years’ experience in banking and consulting, he’s passionate about governance and innovation in financial services.
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Patrizia Anzellotti
Patrizia has more than 20 years’
experience in sourcing talent for many of Australia’s leading companies and
non-profit organisations and joined Korn Ferry company, Futurestep,
in 2005. She currently leads Korn Ferry’s Government and Non-Profit Practices. -
Fiona King
Fiona is a recognised leader in creating new brands and re-invigorating existing ones for growth. With a deep belief that brand success is anchored in great strategy that is built from the understanding of how to reach and engage audiences with strong creative ideas that convert to strong commercial outcomes.
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A/Prof Richard West AM
Professor West is a founding member of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation and Chair of its Medical Advisory Committee. A pioneer in breast cancer care, he helped establish Australia’s national screening program and led innovations in multidisciplinary treatment through his work at RPAH and the Sydney Breast Cancer Institute.
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Dr Kylie Snook
Dr Kylie Snook is a specialist breast surgeon and medical advisor to the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation, treating around 200 patients annually across major Sydney hospitals. She is Head of Department at the Mater Hospital, a council member of BreastSurgANZ, and passionate about research, advocacy, and access to breast care.
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Wendy Vincent
Dr. Wendy Vincent is a Breast Physician and Director of BreastScreen Sydney Local Health District. She also serves as Director of Breast Services at the Royal Hospital for Women and holds VMO appointments at The Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Breast Clinic. With expertise in breast medicine and clinical leadership, she plays a key role in BreastScreen NSW and the Sydney Local Health District.
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A/Prof Jane Beith
Jane is a medical oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, focused on improving breast cancer patient care through research and collaboration. In 2016, she spent a sabbatical at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, sparking her interest in expanding Lifehouse's facilities and increasing clinical trials for better patient outcomes. She is also a member of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation.
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A/Prof Sanjay Warrier
Sanjay is a Breast Surgeon at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and the Mater Hospital. He is the chairman of breast training in Australia and New Zealand and the surgical lead for BreastScreen Central Sydney. A pioneer in robotic mastectomies and breast reconstruction, he has presented at national and international conferences and published widely. A/Prof Warrier is also a member of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation.
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A/Prof Cindy Mak
A/Prof Mak is a Breast Surgeon and Director of Breast Services at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Head of Breast Surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She has specialised in oncoplastic surgery and has international experience at the Edinburgh Breast Unit. A/Prof Mak is a member of Breast SurgANZ and the ANZ Breast Cancer Trials Group and sits on the Medical Advisory Committee of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation. She is also part of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation.
Foundation Team
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Annie Zukerman
Annie has over 30 years of experience in marketing, managing iconic Australian brands such as Lady Jayne, Manicare, and Nature’s Way. She holds a Bachelor of Business Management from Bond University.
Passionate about breast awareness, Annie works to educate communities on the importance of early detection. She is the Foundation Manager for the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation and keeps busy with her three children in high school.
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Jo Stiel
Jo is the Events Manager at the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Taxation Law, with previous experience as a Principal Consultant at PKL Recruitment and a Tax Consultant at a Big 4 accounting firm.
Jo has held senior roles, including General Manager of Consulting at Chandler McLeod and Director of Global Human Resource Solutions at PWC.
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Lily Avery
Lily Avery is the owner of Boujee Boards and brings a dynamic blend of creativity and purpose to the SBCF community. With a background in marketing and a passion for making a difference, Lily leverages her skills to support meaningful initiatives and build strong connections.
