Robin Khuda has been named to Forbes Asia’s 2025 Heroes of Philanthropy list, a recognition that caps an extraordinary year for the Sydney-based entrepreneur whose work in data infrastructure and education continues to draw wide attention. His inclusion follows one of the largest tech transactions in Australian history and a record endowment to the University of Sydney aimed at expanding opportunities for girls and women in STEM.
Khuda shared the news with a message that reflected both pride and purpose. “I am deeply honoured to be included in Forbes Asia’s 2025 ‘Heroes of Philanthropy’.” He added that philanthropy “has always been more than a responsibility to me, it’s a commitment to empowering individuals, uplifting communities, and enabling opportunity where it’s needed most.” He wrote that he believes in giving that creates lasting impact and that he hopes the recognition “serves as an inspiration to others: when we leverage our resources for good, we can help transform lives.” He closed with a reminder of what drives his work: “Here’s to building better, more equitable communities, together.”
Khuda’s rise has been swift. The sale of AirTrunk, the hyperscale data centre operator he founded in 2015, was completed on 23 December 2024 when Blackstone and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired the company for more than 24 billion Australian dollars. It cemented AirTrunk as one of the region’s most influential infrastructure players, with facilities across Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia. Khuda, who stepped down after the acquisition, is understood to have secured a substantial return from the deal.
Two months after the sale was finalised, he committed 100 million Australian dollars to the University of Sydney through the Khuda Family Foundation. It is the largest philanthropic gift in the university’s 175-year history, and it establishes a 20-year program to support girls and women from Western Sydney who want to pursue scientific and technical education. The initiative offers bursaries in high school, undergraduate scholarships, mentoring and career development. Khuda said he wanted to “make a long term positive societal impact” by addressing the gender gap in the industry he spent two decades working in. The program, he said elsewhere, “was really inspired by a deep belief that talent is everywhere, but the opportunities are not.”
The foundation, established in 2020 by Khuda and his wife, Melea Walker-Khuda, focuses on gender equality in fields where women remain underrepresented. Khuda’s own experience informs that work. Born in Bangladesh, he moved to Australia in 2003 and built AirTrunk from a start-up into a critical part of the region’s digital backbone, serving clients from global cloud providers to large enterprise.
Reaction to the gift has been wide-ranging. The university described it as transformative for students in Western Sydney, many of whom face barriers to pursuing technical education. Industry observers have noted the long-term nature of the commitment and the effort to build networks that will help participants move into careers where women are still a minority. Some online discussion has picked up on the tension between a booming data centre sector and broader debates about energy use, though that has remained a side note to the broader praise for Khuda’s approach.
The Forbes listing places Khuda among a small group selected each year for their willingness to use their wealth and profile for community benefit. His message, shared with thousands of followers, pointed to the collective nature of the recognition and the work still to come. It landed as a reminder that philanthropy can set new expectations for the tech industry at a moment when its influence continues to grow.
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