Evan Thornley
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Evan Thornley (born 1965), Australian businessman and politician, was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for the Australian Labor Party at the 2006 Victorian state election. He was a founder (with his wife, Tracey Ellery) and former Chairman and CEO of internet company Looksmart Ltd. He founded predecessor businesses in 1995 with an investment from Reader's Digest. He resigned as CEO in October 2002 and as Chairman in July 2004. He and Ellery now own the publisher Pluto Press Australia.
[edit] Early life
Thornley was raised by his mother on a pension in Gosford, New South Wales. He went to local state schools until Year 11, when he moved to Melbourne to live with his father. He completed Year 12 at private school Scotch College. As his father's small business began to experience problems his family were unable to pay for the school fees. Scotch College allowed Thornley to continue at the school anyway.
In 1991, Thornley graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws. From 1991 to 1995 he was a consultant at McKinsey and Company, a management consultancy firm. He now serves on the Board of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the University of Melbourne, the Chifley Foundation and GetUp. He is also the secretary of the Fabian Society.
Thornley is a member of the Australian Labor Party, and at the 2006 Victorian state election he was a candidate for the Victorian Legislative Council. The result was very close and he was not declared elected until 12 December. In the meantime Premier Steve Bracks appointed him a Parliamentary Secretary.
