QUT has named Urban List founder Susannah George as an outstanding entrepreneurial alumnus, in a move she never envisaged when launching the business from her bedroom a decade ago.
Since then, the independent lifestyle publication connects three million people and provides 30-thousand recommendations an hour across 12 markets in Australia and New Zealand.
The Urban List brand founder is recognised among the top Australian entrepreneurs and an influential voice in media.
“Doing more of what you love makes you happier; and happier people are more active, more engaged and more willing to make change in this world,” Ms George said.
“Everything we do is designed to drive more traffic to the businesses and brands we love.”
The annual QUT alumni awards recognise some of the university’s most successful graduates for contributions to their industry and the community in the years since they finished university.
Ms George holds a Bachelor of Communication (2004) and she has travelled extensively, working in Los Angeles after graduation, gaining experience at businesses during the early days of digital publishing.
“I became completely fascinated with this idea of connecting with and communicating with people online and I really started to forge the business plan of Urban List from there,” she said.
“I wanted to move home to see if I could make this fledgling dream come true making it easier to move people to find more of what they love.”
The fifth-generation entrepreneur admitted the journey from bedroom to boardroom had its ups and downs but found support when needed.
“Some of the most generous gestures have been from those people that were brave enough and caring enough to give me some pretty brutal truth bombs,” she said.
“For me, this award is a chance to really lean in and to give back to that community and to share some of the mentorship and the support I’ve received over the years.
“Being part of QUT’s entrepreneurial communities is reward enough and being recognised on top of that it’s pretty humbling.”
Media contacts:-
Debra Nowland, 07 3138 3151 or media@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rod Chester, 0407 585 901
