Linda Brown

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 Judge
Former President of Torrens University Australia and CEO of Torrens Global Education, Australia

Linda Brown believes in disrupting higher education, expanding access, changing lives and creating new generations of changemakers.

For Linda Brown, accepting the status quo isn’t an option. As the former and inaugural President and founding CEO of Torrens University Australia and now an investor, advisor and board director of many global EdTech startups, she believes education is a human right.

When Torrens University opened its doors in 2013, it was clear that success would be defined differently. With innovation embedded in its DNA, Torrens University became Australia’s only NASDAQ-listed for-profit university and the country’s only university to be a Certified B Corporation. During her time as president of Torrens University, Linda was laser-focused on ensuring that the university was completely student-centric and had an entrepreneurial spirit.

Linda is proud of her role in creating new generations of entrepreneurs through education and her investment as well as her family’s involvement in the award-winning social enterprise Fruit2Work, a charity that creates job opportunities for those affected by the justice system.
 
Profit and purpose go hand in hand for Linda. The pandemic was particularly challenging with Australia’s borders closed for almost two years. Torrens University engaged with over 270,000 people by offering free short courses and forming a digital community. The university also mobilized its resources and rallied around staff and students who were in need, providing fresh food deliveries in partnership with Fruit2Work, special academic considerations and financial bursaries .

Linda now advises governments, universities, businesses and leaders on how to build ecosystems to create future skills with impact. She is the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2022 Australia.