What do Formula 1 and dementia research have in common? At first glance, not much. One is built around speed, engineering and the relentless pursuit of performance. The other is tackling one of the most complex medical challenges of our time. But Race Against Dementia believes there is something worth borrowing from Formula 1.
Founded by three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart, the charity is applying four principles from the sport - teamwork, innovation, resilience and attention to detail - to help accelerate dementia research.
As Georgina Disney-May, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Race Against Dementia, explains, “The aim is simple: to help promising research make a greater impact, earlier.”
It is an ambitious approach to an enormous challenge. It is also one that felt immediately familiar to Aventum.
Why This Race?
Around one million people are currently living with dementia in the UK, while one in three people born today is expected to develop the condition during their lifetime. The scale of the challenge alone made Race Against Dementia an important cause. But for Aventum, the charity's approach was equally significant.
Each year, Aventum's charity partner is chosen by its people, creating the opportunity for colleagues across the Group to rally around a cause collectively. Race Against Dementia resonated because of both its purpose and its determination to approach a difficult problem differently.
John Bearman, Chief Investment Officer at Aventum Group, explains: “The mission is incredibly important, but what really stood out was the determination to do things differently. Race Against Dementia has taken the mindset of one of the world's most innovative and high-performance environments and applied it to scientific research. That’s a powerful proposition and one that felt very natural for Aventum to support.”
That idea, taking expertise and ways of thinking from one environment and applying them somewhere they might unlock new possibilities, sits at the centre of the partnership.
The Instinct to Ask: Could There Be A Better Way?
Race Against Dementia's approach depends on bringing people and disciplines together. The belief is that complex problems can benefit from new perspectives, different expertise and a willingness to challenge established thinking. That is where Georgina sees one of the strongest connections with Aventum.
“There’s a real shared challenger mindset,” she says. “Aventum talks about seeing challenges as opportunities to do things better, empowering its people to be bold and create meaningful impact – and that really resonates with Race Against Dementia’s approach.”
Georgina also highlighted Aventum Group’s natural connection to Formula 1 in our partnership with Ollie Bearman and the leadership team’s understanding of that high-performance culture. She said, “In many ways, our organisations are cut from the same cloth: ambitious, people-driven and not afraid to do things differently.”
For John, the connection comes down to a similar instinct to continuously improve.
“There is a strong shared mindset. Both organisations are focused on continuous improvement, using data and expertise to make better decisions, challenging conventional thinking and bringing the right people together to achieve more. Formula 1 is ultimately about finding marginal gains and turning them into meaningful performance and there is a similar philosophy in how we approach our business.”
The problems Aventum and Race Against Dementia are trying to solve are obviously very different. But the way both organisations think about progress has clear parallels: expertise matters, but so does what happens when that expertise is challenged, shared and combined with new ideas. And in both cases, innovation is not simply about doing something new for the sake of it. It is about finding a better answer.
A Partnership That Asks People To Get Involved
That shared mindset may have brought Aventum and Race Against Dementia together, but it is Aventum's people who have given the partnership momentum, because this was never intended to be a relationship built around an annual donation and a photograph at the cheque presentation.
Instead, colleagues have been fundraising, volunteering and finding their own ways to support the cause. Last year, Dare to Dive saw Aventum colleagues raise GBP 12,500 for Race Against Dementia and this summer, volunteers joined the charity at Silverstone, helping to support its presence during the British Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, colleagues in the US have established their first Charity Committee and launched their own fundraising campaign, with a target of raising USD 500 per employee.
Georgina says the level of engagement has been particularly striking.
“The enthusiasm from across Aventum has been fantastic. From employees choosing to skydive for Race Against Dementia in 2025, to selecting us as an employee charity of choice and volunteering with us at Silverstone this year, people have really embraced the partnership.”
And that involvement matters. As Georgina explains, partnerships with businesses bring much more than vital funding. They can introduce Race Against Dementia to new audiences, increase awareness and bring fresh expertise and perspectives into the conversation. For a small charity, volunteers can also make a genuine difference, particularly at major events such as the British Grand Prix.
The more people involved in the mission, the greater the opportunity to support the researchers working towards better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
The Next Part of the Race
Aventum will continue supporting awareness and fundraising activity during World Alzheimer's Month, while three colleagues are already preparing to run next year's London Marathon for Race Against Dementia. There are also some much bigger ideas beginning to take shape for 2027 - more on those soon.
But the most important part of the partnership is not necessarily the next big event but rather the opportunity for more people to become part of it.
As John says, “We may not be scientists, but we can use our platform, our people and our resources to help an organisation that is doing pioneering work. If our support helps researchers move even one step faster towards a breakthrough, that's meaningful.”
You do not need to be running a marathon, jumping out of a plane or volunteering at Silverstone to contribute. Supporting the cause can mean donating, fundraising, sharing its work or simply helping raise awareness of the challenge dementia presents.
Race Against Dementia is built around the idea that progress can accelerate when talented people are given the opportunity, tools and connections to think differently. Its partnership with Aventum is built on a similarly simple idea: if more people can be brought into that mission, there is more potential to make a difference.
And, as Georgina says of what comes next, “We feel like we’re only just getting started – so watch this space!”
