Linda Penn: The $400M Power Player of Sydney’s High Society

Linda Penn looks every inch the high society doyenne upon first impression.

Sporting an impressive lineage and filling out her days with philanthropic pursuits, the mother-of-three is the closest Australia has to homegrown royalty.

But she is no heiress swanning around Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs. With a net worth of $400million, she is both an accomplished businesswoman and someone who rules the country’s most exclusive charity balls with an iron fist. 

Linda co-owns menswear brand Lowes with her brother Jeffrey Mueller and spends much of the year jetting about Europe to attend all the biggest designer shows.

She works full time overseeing the entire Lowes operation, which includes more than 190 stores, online portals and over 1,900 staff across Australia, in addition to her jaw-dropping fundraising work.

From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to DailyMail’s new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 

Her dentist husband David founded Southern Cross Dental laboratories. The couple share three children together, one of whom, a daughter, lives overseas. 

The eldest child, Joshua, looks to be following in his mother’s footsteps as he owns the women’s clothing boutique Belinda International in Double Bay, Sydney.

Belinda International once had a store in Prahran, Melbourne, but it has since closed.

Linda previously said that despite being famous in business, her family is her priority.

‘Look after yourself from a health and mental well-being perspective,’ Linda said when offering advice to working mothers.

‘Be the boss or work for someone who is understanding that you have children. Family should always come first.’

Joshua also co-owns Double Bay luxury furniture and homewares store Palmer & Penn with his husband Ben Palmer, with whom he shares two children.

Linda has interests well beyond charity and retail, however. 

The discreet socialite and husband David have carved out a niche in Double Bay property, buying up huge swathes of retail buildings in the area.

The couple also own and live in a luxury mansion on the most expensive street in Point Piper, which boasts a $1million car park.

The Michael Suttor-designed Villa Veneto on Wolseley Road is worth an eye-watering $53million and is considered one of the most expensive properties in the Harbour City.

First built by Shark Tank star Andrew Banks and his wife Andrea, the five-level mansion was nicknamed ‘The Vatican’ due to its Italianate style. 

Linda is known for using her sprawling home to hold court among Sydney’s high society, hosting charity balls and events.

She previously threw a no-expense-spared Masquerade Ball for the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in 2016.

Reports emerged just this week that her son Joshua and his husband Ben had just sold their Wyuna Road mansion in Point Piper for $23.5million.

The couple, who share son Brooklyn, six, and daughter Blake, four, will soon jet off to the south of France where they will renovate the Penn family’s palace at Cap-d’Ail.

They initially purchased the Wyuna Rd property from nursing home scion Mark Moran and wife Evette for $16million.

Joshua and Ben were living in the Edwardian residence, called ‘Capri’, which they co-own with Linda and David, while waiting for their home in Double Bay to be rebuilt.

That Carlotta Road property was purchased for $6.7million in 2020 and is almost ready to move into.

Also, Linda’s brother Jeffrey Mueller and his wife Stephanie own a five-bedroom ‘architectural masterpiece’ designed by Studio Johnston in Rose Bay.

They bought the property, which took six years to build, for $38.5million in July 2024.

Despite her family’s lavish homes and jet-setting lifestyle of opulence, Linda is best known for the strings she pulls behind-the-scenes of her charitable endeavours.

She has said she takes particular interest in the work of CMRI, Carrie Bickmore’s Beanies for Brain Cancer, and Start in Life for disadvantaged school children.

Linda also heads the Gold Dinner Committee alongside her son Joshua and rules the annual Sydney Children’s Hospital charity event with an iron fist. 

The mother-son duo this month raised a record $84.3million for the foundation, with Linda turning heads on the red carpet in a $30,000 Oscar de la Renta gown.

Each year, an influential mix of business leaders and philanthropists attend the gala.

In the past, celebrities like Chris Hemsworth, Roxy Jacenko, Ian Thorpe, Hamish Blake and Karl Stefanovic have been on the exclusive guest list.

In 2023, for example, the likes of Candice Warner, Lincoln Younes and Cooper Cronk were in attendance.

However, as the queen of the Sydney social scene, Linda put a stop to it all in 2024 and officially banned ‘celebrities’ from attending the Gold Dinner.

Her discriminating approach to guest lists has made her quite an imposing figure in high society, even though those who know her insist she is very personable.

Gold Dinner co-chair Joshua revealed ahead of last year’s fundraiser that they would be shunning typical stars going forward as they ‘don’t seem to add much value’.

‘I’m always told to invite the celebrity or the famous rugby player and put the WAG on the list but it is just not our thing,’ Joshua explained at the time.

‘We have done it before and they end up taking up valuable space.’

Joshua suggested the issue was celebrities taking attention away from the purpose of the event.

This year, the only celebs of note were Sunrise co-hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington, as well as former Wiggles performer Emma Watkins.

Sydney’s wealthy elite made up most of the guest list.

The invitation-only gala is held annually at a secret location in Sydney and is given a unique theme every year.

For the first time, this year the Gold Dinner was held at the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Parade Ground Lawn, set amongst Sydney’s most iconic landmarks.

With close proximity to Government House, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge – all illuminated as part of the Vivid festival – the theme was ‘Light Up a Child’s Life’.

Guests enjoyed an immersive experience as they aimed to raise $80million – the most ambitious target to date and one they knocked out of the park.

For almost three decades, the Gold Dinner has united Australia’s leaders and captains of industry to support the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network through the SCHF.

Now expanded to Perth, and with plans to hold events in America and Britain, the Gold Series is recognised as Australia’s most prestigious philanthropic initiative.