FDM Group is encouraging its employees to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell donor register having adopted the charity as part of its corporate social responsibility work. The group will also be raising funds for the charity.
Rod Flavell, CEO at FDM Group, says: “We have all been affected by cancer in one way or another and as a company we want to do something to help. We feel that Anthony Nolan is a perfect match for us and will be encouraging our amazing employees, who regularly raise money for charities, to sign up to the Anthony Nolan register and help even more people.”
Anthony Nolan saves the lives of people with blood cancer by using its register to match potential stem cell donors to blood cancer and blood disorder patients in need of stem cell transplants. It also carries out pioneering research to increase stem cell transplant success and supports patients through their transplant journeys. Every day Anthony Nolan gives three people a second chance at life.
Anthony Nolan need more young people to sign up and in particular men, who are six times more likely to be chosen to donate but make up just 17% of the register. The charity also needs more donors from black and minority ethnic backgrounds to increase the chances of patients from these backgrounds finding a match. Only 60% of transplant recipients receive the best match; this drops dramatically to around 20.5% (one in five transplant recipients) if you're from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background.
Diversity is one of FDM’s core values and as a result it has an employee base consisting of over 75 nationalities, 28% of its global employees and circa 50% of its management team are female and 48% of its 2017 graduate intake identified themselves as being from a BAME background.
Rod adds: “We hire around 1000 people a year from all backgrounds and receive thousands of applications annually to join our careers programme, so we have a large audience we can promote Anthony Nolan to and hopefully, find volunteers who are matches for the 2,000 people in the UK who need a stem cell transplant from a stranger every year.”
Henny Braund from Anthony Nolan says: “We are delighted that Anthony Nolan has been chosen as FDM Group’s charity partner. By working together to add much-needed diversity to the register we will improve the chance of everyone finding the match they need. The funds raised by FDM Group will support our lifesaving research, help us grow our network of nurses, and add more people to the register. Together, we hope to give more people with blood cancer and blood disorders a second chance of life.”