Professional Achievement Award

Linus Chua, Comm ’94 u
Singapore

When Linus Chua arrived at Marquette, he was a kid from Singapore who walked into East Hall with a bag full of dreams. Three decades later, Linus has transformed those dreams into reality as the executive editor for Bloomberg Today and Daybreak in Asia.

Working for Bloomberg News, Linus has a front-row seat to the breaking news stories of the day. Over nearly 30 years, his career has taken him to Milwaukee, New York, South Florida, Los Angeles, and in the past year, back home to Singapore.

Linus uses his Marquette education in both journalism and economics on a daily basis to deliver trusted news, data and insights that bring transparency, efficiency, and fairness to readers. He is energized by working with a strong and diverse team in a bureau with more than a dozen different nationalities. Linus also credits Marquette’s emphasis on academia and faith with preparing him to face the constant and unexpected challenges of the 24/7 news cycle.

Linus enjoys challenging himself while helping others and giving back to his community. When an old friend who had been tasked to run the Franciscan parish in Singapore reached out for help with social media, Linus was happy to assist. That friar eventually built the most-followed Catholic X/Twitter account in the country.

Linus fondly recalls one of his favorite Marquette memories, when he and several fellow journalism students decided to attend the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) annual conference in Cleveland. After an 8-hour drive, the Marquette group ended up sharing a hotel room because it was so expensive. According to Linus, “none of us got much sleep with every aspiring journalist wanting the last word.”

Fun Facts:

Name someone (past or present) with whom you'd like to have dinner.
Pope Francis. He’s a Jesuit — need I say more? As a journalist, I hope it would be an exclusive where I would ask about how he balances the empathy and courage he brought to take the Church forward with those who are standing firm on traditional ideals.

Name a Marquette faculty or staff member who had an impact on you, and how.
Prof. Richard Leonard. He's a newspaper legend who worked at the Milwaukee Journal for four decades — almost half of that time as the top editor. Yet he was one of the kindest and most generous faculty members, always there for his students. He was definitely the one who helped kickstart my career, guiding me to go after internships (and eventually jobs) that I never thought were possible.

Leave a congratulatory message for Linus!

u Celebrating a Marquette Reunion