Professor Brenda Gourley (born December 1, 1943) was the previous Vice-Chancellor of the Open University, leaving office on 30 September 2009.
Prof Gourley is a qualified Chartered Accountant and was previously Vice-Chancellor of the University of Natal, South Africa. Her appointment at Natal in 1994 saw her become South Africa's first female Vice-Chancellor. She was appointed as the fourth Vice-Chancellor of the Open University in 2002.
She is the Chair of the Association of Commonwealth Universities Council.