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Linda Brown
EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2025 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 of Torrens University Australia and now a Board Director, she believes education should be accessible to all and is passionate about creating the university of the future. 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 is Australia’s only private for-profit university and the country’s only university to be a Certified B Corporation.
During her time as the President of Torrens University, Linda was laser-focused on ensuring that the university was completely student-centric and had an entrepreneurial spirit. Torrens University offers progressive courses that incorporate virtual reality and other digital technologies, and it provides unique industry connections, so students gain the right skills to find jobs they love. Linda is proud of her role in creating new generations of entrepreneurs.
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 digital community engagement. The university also mobilized its resources and rallied around staff and students who were in need, providing fresh food deliveries, special academic considerations and financial bursaries. It has continued this trend by offering $48 million in scholarships in fiscal year 2022-23.
Torrens University remains the country’s fastest-growing university with state-of-the art campuses across Australia, New Zealand and a strategic presence in China. The university registered 27% year-on-year growth in 2020, and in November 2020, it was acquired by Nasdaq-listed Strategic Education, Inc. for $900 million. Under Linda’s leadership, Torrens grew from 165 students in 2014 to over 20,000 in 2024, ranks among the top 5 universities in Australia for international students and has a presence in 105 countries.
Linda is EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2022 Australia.