Evan Thornley
Evan William Thornley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Impact investor, philanthropist, social entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Known for | Executive chair of LongView; former CEO of Better Place; co-founder of LookSmart; former member of Victorian Legislative Council |
Evan William Thornley (born 1964) is an Australian impact investor, philanthropist, and social entrepreneur. He established and currently serves as executive chair of LongView,[1] an organization dedicated to tackling Australia's housing affordability challenges. Motivated by his personal experience with unstable housing, Thornley champions renters’ rights and strives to close the affordability gap for Australians without financial backing from their families.[2][3] LongView has emerged as a prominent leader[4] in the residential property acquisition and management sector. Its Shared Equity Fund innovates by partnering with homebuyers through co-investment to enhance housing affordability within the Australian market.[5][6]
Thornley was the inaugural chair of Per Capita and held the position of National Secretary for the Australian Fabian Society.[7] He contributed as a board member to the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Chifley Research Centre, and was among the founding directors of GetUp!. Together with his wife, he co-founded LookSmart, Australia’s pioneering dot-com firm to be listed on NASDAQ. At the height of the dot-com boom, his shareholding was valued close to $1 billion but suffered a significant decline following the market collapse.[8] Thornley also made an early bid to acquire Google; however, founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin declined his offer.[9]
He co-established the Goodstart Consortium, a social enterprise that owns the globe’s largest childcare network (previously ABC Learning), with a mission to deliver high-quality early childhood education and promote wellbeing outcomes.[10] Thornley held the roles of CEO for Better Place Australia and Global CEO of Better Place LLC, a company focused on electric vehicles along with their charging and battery swapping infrastructure.[11][12] Additionally, he served two years as a Labor representative in Victoria’s Legislative Council for the Southern Metropolitan Region and acted as Parliamentary Secretary to Premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby.[13]
Background and early career
Raised by a single mother on the New South Wales coast in difficult conditions, Thornley grew up with six sisters and four siblings under seven years old, relying heavily on welfare systems and community aid.
An academically talented student, he earned a full scholarship to attend Scotch College, Melbourne and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1990 with degrees in Commerce and Law. During his university years, he presided over the Student Representative Council and was actively involved in the National Union of Students between 1987 and 1988. From 1991 until 1995, he worked as a consultant at McKinsey and Company, an international management consulting firm.
Political career
Thornley was elected to the Parliament of Victoria in 2006, where he functioned as Parliamentary Secretary supporting the Premier on initiatives related to National Reform Agenda and Innovation until his resignation at the end of 2008. He is recognized as a significant contributor to progressive political causes, including substantial donations to the Australian Labor Party.
Although there was speculation about his potential appointment as a minister in John Brumby's administration, Thornley stepped down in late 2008. His exit received varied responses; some peers considered it "insulting," while others empathized with the challenges reform-driven politicians encounter within government structures.
Post-politics, Thornley assumed leadership as CEO of Australian operations for Better Place, an electric vehicle enterprise he described as a "once-in-a-generation transformational project."
After his resignation, a joint sitting of Victoria's Parliament appointed Melbourne lawyer Jennifer Huppert to fill his vacancy, marking the first casual replacement under revised Legislative Council rules modeled after those governing the Australian Senate.
Post-political career
Following his departure from parliament, Thornley took on the role of Australian head at Better Place and was elevated to global CEO in October 2012 after the company's founder, Shai Agassi, was removed. He exited the firm three months afterward. In January 2014, he assumed the position of executive chair at the private equity firm Same Business Different Outcome (SBDO) and currently oversees operations at LongView, a property management enterprise.
Connection to Israel, Judaism
Thornley’s association with Israel commenced during his university years through participation in a Young Political Leaders' Tour. He spearheaded a trade mission for the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce in 2008 and held the position of Secretary for the Parliamentary Friends of Israel. Throughout his time at Better Place, he traveled to Israel more than 30 times and contributed to the strategic review panel of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria. Beginning in 2012, he started converting to Judaism under the guidance of Rabbi Adam Stein at Melbourne’s Kehilat Nitzan synagogue, completing the conversion in August 2014 and adopting the Hebrew name "Lev Yonatan".