Holly Ransom

Early life

Born and raised in the city of Perth, Western Australia, Holly Ransom was infatuated by football (soccer) as a young girl. By her late teenage years, however, her priorities had shifted, and she knew her future lay not out on the football pitch, dreaming instead of founding a nonprofit organization. She attended Methodist Ladies’ College, an independent preparatory school, from 2003 to 2007. Beginning in 2008, she enrolled in The University of Western Australia, where she majored in economics and graduated with a combined bachelor of laws/bachelor of arts degree in 2014.

In a 2021 interview with Booktopia, Ransom made the following remarks when reflecting on how her childhood shaped her career as an adult: “I got in trouble, fell out of trees, played lots of sport, and interrogated my parents, teachers, and any adult who would listen about why the world was the way it was. When sufficient answers weren’t forthcoming, I tried to find ways to solve problems early, saving pocket money to give to the homeless man on the street.”

Career

As she finished up her degree, Holly Ransom was tapped to co-chair 2014’s Y20 Youth Summit, which ran parallel to and was officially sponsored by that year’s Group of 20 (G20) Summit. The Youth Summit was a rousing success, and it led to Ransom being introduced to then-President of the United States Barack Obama.

One year later, Holly Ransom created Emergent Global, an advisory firm that offers transformative leadership development programs and engaging workshops. In her capacity as founder and CEO of the firm, she has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Virgin, Cisco, and AMEX. Day-to-day operations at Emergent Global focus on fostering innovation and developing what the company calls ‘ethical systems hacking’, a practice designed to help business leaders and teams thrive in an increasingly disrupted world. The company states that leadership learning should extend beyond a person’s place of work and into their everyday life, inspiring personal development and proactive change.

In 2017, Ransom co-founded the award-winning Energy Disruptors global energy summit, which takes place annually in Canada. She has acted as chief curator of the summit since its inception.

Holly Ransom won the Anne Wexler Fulbright Scholarship in 2019, whereupon she enrolled in Harvard University’s Kennedy School. There, she completed a master’s of public policy degree in 2021, specializing in collaborative policy design that balances various economic and social interests.

In 2016, she was made the youngest director ever appointed to an Australian football club when she was chosen to chair Port Adelaide Football Club’s AFLW Football Committee, as well as their People and Culture Committee.

Over the course of her career, Holly Ransom’s work has earned her significant recognition. She was named one of ‘Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women’ by Westpac Banking Corporation and Australian Financial Review in 2012. She was also specifically requested by Barack Obama to interview him on stage in 2018, and once delivered a peace charter into the hands of the Dalai Lama. In 2019, she received the American Embassy’s ‘Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Leadership Excellence’.

As a keynote speaker, Holly Ransom has made over 800 presentations across six continents, captivating audiences of every description with her ability to boil complex ideas down into easily accessible insights.

In 2021, she authored her first book, The Leading Edge: Dream Big, Spark Change, and Become the Leader the World Needs You to Be, which explores the idea of what it means to be a leader in the mid-21st century.

Beyond her professional achievements, Holly Ransom is a two-time ‘ironwoman’, meaning she has twice successfully completed ‘Ironman’ triathlon events organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. She also enjoys cooking, dancing, and singing in her spare time.

Net Worth

Holly Ransom’s net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $6 million.