Greene King and Macmillan Partnership Recognised as One of the UK’s Most Admired Non-Profit Partnerships
Greene King and Macmillan Cancer Support have been recognised as one of the UK’s most admired non-profit partnerships in the C&E Advisory’s Corporate-Non-Profit Partnerships Barometer 2026.
The result was decided by a poll of 117 corporate and non-profit partnership professionals from many of the world’s leading businesses and charities, and highlighted the partnership’s longevity, shared purpose, strategic alignment, and measurable impact.
Since the start of the partnership in 2012, Greene King and Macmillan have built their relationship around a shared commitment to the communities they serve. While fundraising remains at the heart of the partnership, its scope has expanded in recent years, combining Greene King’s reach through its pubs across the country with Macmillan’s expertise in supporting people affected by cancer.
Today, the organisations are working together to find new ways to raise awareness, encourage conversations about health and wellbeing, and signpost people to where they can find Macmillan’s services and support. One example of this activity is the Early Bell campaign, launched earlier this year by Greene King and Macmillan to raise awareness of prostate cancer symptoms. Pubs across the UK rang their last orders bell at 6pm to signify that one in six men in the UK will be diagnosed with the condition in their lifetime*. The campaign encouraged customers to talk about prostate cancer and to understand the symptoms, directing them towards trusted information and support from Macmillan.
Andrew Bush, Chief Strategy & Experience Officer at Greene King, said: “We're honoured to see our partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support recognised in this year's C&E Barometer. This recognition reflects how our approach has evolved over the past 14 years from a traditional corporate charity partnership focused predominantly on fundraising, into a strategic collaboration that is now embedded in how we deliver positive impact across our business for our teams, our customers and the communities we serve.
"While fundraising remains incredibly important, we're equally focused on using our scale and reach to provide a trusted community space where important conversations can be had, where we can help raise awareness of health issues and connect people with the help and support they may need. We're proud of what we've achieved with Macmillan so far and are excited to continue evolving the partnership in ways that create lasting value for both our organisations and the communities we support."
Gemma Peters, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:
"Our brilliant partnership with Greene King has been recognised as one of the UK's most admired collaborations, and moments like this show what's possible when charities and businesses build a true partnership around a shared purpose.
"For nearly 15 years, Greene King team members, customers and communities have gone above and beyond to help make sure nobody faces cancer alone. What began as a fundraising partnership in 2012 has grown into something much bigger.
"This award is a testament to the commitment of Greene King colleagues and customers who have helped us do whatever it takes for people living with cancer. We're incredibly proud of everything we've achieved together so far, and I'm excited for what we achieve next for people living with cancer."
The partnership’s success is also underpinned by the commitment of Greene King’s team members, customers and supplier partners, whose fundraising efforts have helped to raise more than £27 million for Macmillan since the partnership began.
Greene King and Macmillan will continue to build on the partnership, exploring how pubs can help Macmillan reach more people with its information and services closer to where they live.
About Greene King
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer trading c2,500 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 38,000 people across the group and operate three divisions including Managed Pubs, Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.
Managed Pubs: Our Managed Pubs division brings together our best-known pub and restaurant brands nationwide, including Greene King pubs, Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill. We offer great service, quality and value for a wide range of eating and drinking occasions. Ventures includes Hickory’s, Premium (Crafted Pubs & Metropolitan Pub Company) and Hotels, which operate independently of Greene King’s managed pub brands.
Pub Partners: Pub Partners runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive and Nest franchise pubs. These options combine entrepreneurial independence with practical support, enabling partners to run successful local businesses within a market‑leading estate. We have c.1,000 leased, tenanted and franchise pubs.
Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Hazy Day, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
About C&E Advisory
C&E Advisory is a specialist business and society consultancy helping organisations create lasting social and environmental impact through strategy, partnership and responsible business.
With more than two decades of experience, C&E works across the corporate, non-profit and philanthropic sectors, advising leading organisations on responsible business, cross-sector partnerships, social impact, ESG and performance.
Now in its 17th edition, the C&E Corporate–Non-Profit Partnerships Barometer is one of the UK’s longest-running practitioner-led studies of cross-sector collaboration. The 2026 report draws on insights from 117 corporate and non-profit partnership professionals from leading UK and international businesses and charities, combining quantitative survey data with qualitative interviews.
The 2026 Barometer is available at www.candeadvisory.com/barometer
About the Most Admired Corporate–Non-Profit Partnerships
As part of the annual C&E Corporate–Non-Profit Partnerships Barometer, respondents from leading UK and international businesses and non-profits are asked, in an entirely unprompted and confidential exercise, to name the corporate–non-profit partnerships they most admire and explain why.
Notes to editors
* Lifetime risk estimates calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, 2023. Refers to men born in 1961. For more information see: Cancer Research UK. Prostate cancer risk
For more information:
Greene King Press Office
Third-party news items are published as received for informational purposes. Publication does not imply endorsement by the Guild. Please use the contact details within the post for any enquiries.
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