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At Macquarie Group’s Sydney and Melbourne offices, hundreds of headshots were snapped earlier this year — but these weren’t just about profile pictures. They were portraits with purpose, led by graduate Zoe Campbell and her colleagues as part of the “Headshots for Charity” initiative.
In a remarkable effort blending corporate creativity with personal cause, Zoe and her team raised more than $65,000 for Parkinson’s research through Shake It Up Australia Foundation — making her the top fundraiser for Parkinson’s Awareness Month 2025.
Zoe, daughter of Shake It Up founder Clyde Campbell, has grown up with a deep personal connection to the mission. Through this campaign, she brought her professional world into the fold — using her workplace as a platform to inspire generosity and conversation around Parkinson’s disease.
We caught up with Zoe to learn more about the story behind this powerful campaign.
How did you get involved with the Macquarie Graduate Volunteer Network and the Headshots for Charity initiative?
As part of the Macquarie Graduate Program, I had the opportunity to join the Graduate Volunteer Network (GVN) as an initiative lead – a committee of selected graduates who run initiatives throughout the year to support various charities and causes. Headshots for Charity is a long-standing tradition at Macquarie, and when I alongside three graduates (Matthew Comito, Sidonie McRae and Michael Richardson) became the initiative leads, we decided to support Shake It Up and their mission to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease – a cause that’s deeply personal to me.
How many headshots ended up being taken?
It was such a popular event! We held sessions across both our Sydney and Melbourne offices and ended up taking over 650 headshots which came to around 4,500 photos in total.
How was the fundraising conducted? Was there a matched donation portion to the fundraising?
The event raised an incredible $65,000 for Shake It Up, which would not have been possible without the support of Macquarie’s staff donation matching policy!
To fundraise for the event, each employee who signed up for a headshot had to make a minimum $45 donation to Shake It Up, and thanks to the Macquarie Group Foundation, eligible donations made by Macquarie staff were matched (nearly doubling our total funds raised!). Every headshot, donation and matched amount will help fund vital research towards a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
Sake It Up and our mission are very close to your heart as the daughter of our founder, Clyde Campbell. What does it mean to you to be able to volunteer and fundraise for such an important cause?
Shake It Up was started by my parents after my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, so it’s always been a big part of my life. Their goal has always been to slow, stop and cure Parkinson’s by funding world-leading, Australian-based research. Being able to support the foundation through this initiative at Macquarie has been really special and rewarding. It’s a way for me to bring awareness to the work Shake It Up is doing, contribute to vital research funding and help carry their mission forward in a space where I can also involve my colleagues and community.
Do you have any advice for anyone looking to make a difference like you have?
Corporate fundraisers like Headshots for Charity show just how powerful simple but effective initiatives can be in driving real impact. Shake It Up relies on community and corporate support to fund critical Parkinson’s research, and events like this play a big role in making that possible. If you’re looking to make a difference, consider how you can leverage your workplace, whether that’s starting a fundraiser or simply raising awareness. When a group of people rallies behind a cause, the results can be incredible!