The Top 60 Property Developers and Investors to Watch Out for in Australia in 2020

2019 was quite a tumultuous year for property developers.

With the market being somewhat unstable, at least until the end of the year, many developers held back. However, there was still plenty of activity. 

And as a budding developer, there are quite a lot of developers that you need to keep an eye on. Use them as your inspiration that one day, you’ll also get to where they are.


And in this list, we’re going to look at 60 of the best ones you should watch out for.

60. Winston White

His work as both a buyer’s and seller’s agent may take up most of his time. But Winston White still manages to cause a splash in the developing niche.

He developed a home improvement concept that he now applies to every property he purchases. So far, that’s resulted in 15 successful projects under his belt, and with a bunch of others for his clients. Winston generally tends to steer clear of working on development projects himself. Instead, he works closely with both his developers and buyers to help them secure great deals.

Not only that, but he also maintains an international portfolio. And part of his portfolio includes properties in New Zealand and Bali, as well as in his native Australia.

59. Jo Vadillo

It was the birth of her second son that seemed to unearth the entrepreneurial developer hidden inside Jo Vadillo. On that fateful day, she made the life-changing decision that she’d never work for anybody else again.

And, true to her word, she hasn’t.

Currently, Jo operates Advocate Property Service. Her own portfolio includes several blocks of land, as well as six properties. She’s also had success renovating and developing properties. But right now, she’s focused on working on smaller development projects, such as duplexes and dual-income developments.

58. Hank Hong

Hank Hong is a powerhouse developer who is perhaps better known as one of the most prominent mortgage brokers right now.

He currently has an eight-property strong portfolio, as well as several development projects in the works. And his goal is to finish over at least two more developments over the course of the next five years.

The key to Hank’s success is to focus on small developments that create massive profits. He’s also a proponent of investing in older properties and adding value to show their full potential.

57. David Hall

A buyer’s agent based in Western Australia, David Hall’s property journey started at the tender age of 19. And his first property led him into a career that’s spanned 30 years and counting.

For David, it all started with a small $62,000 property. Some renovation work later, he got to sell that property for $87,000. That success established his system of finding the value adds for all of his future developments.

His philosophy revolves around investing in properties that have the capacity for value-adds. He also has an indicator system that involves keeping track of six key market trends. If four or five of those indicators trend negatively, he knows that he needs to release a property. At various points, he’s counted 20 properties or more in his portfolio. 

He shows no signs of slowing down.

56. Esme Chin

A constant desire to learn as much as possible may be the trait that best defines Esme Chin. Born in Malaysia, Esme didn’t arrive in Australia until she was 14 years old. And after completing her education, she set off to make her own mark in the world.

Today, she manages a varied portfolio that’s valued over $6 million. Better yet, she’s expanding globally. Alongside the 21 properties that she holds in Australia, she also develops properties all across Australia - from townhouses to units.

She added the development arm to her business back in 2017 and she aims to have between 15 and 20 projects completed by the time 2022 rolls around.

55. Walter Nanni

It all started with a set of four units in Bondi. With that investment under his belt, Walter Nanni embarked on a journey. And that journey has resulted in him accumulating a multi-million-dollar portfolio.

Walter’s strategy focuses on a positively geared property with every purchase. In his eyes, negative gearing is simply a way to lose the income that could help you to build your portfolio faster.

Currently, he’s working on a development project that will result in the creation of 25 units.

And like many of the names on this list, he’s now working with others to help them achieve success.

54. Michael Lin

Michael Lin is a man of many talents, but he’s not one to shy away from hard work. And together with his family, he currently runs two export businesses that help generate most of his income.

However, he’s also quickly becoming a player in the property development sector. Right now, his activities in that field help him generate a six-figure income per year. And he’s expanded in this direction using the knowledge he developed while helping his parents buy properties.

Right now, he’s involved in a development deal that should yield six townhouses upon completion. More impressively, he’s found a way to develop these six townhouses on a plot that would typically only allow for four.

53. Steve Stemp

Steve Stemp is something of a veteran in the property development sector. His work in the niche spans over 30 years, which means he’s seen and done it all.

In fact, he now heads two property companies and holds a portfolio that’s valued at $3.5 million. 

But it is the sheer wealth of experience that Steve offers to the development projects he runs. He went through everything - from small builds through to investing in shrimp farms. 

Steve has definitely made mistakes, including getting caught up in the collapse of the mining boom. But now, he’s focused on positive cash flow, as well as helping his clients develop and invest in dual key properties.

He now works on developments that allow for the building of duplexes, triplexes, and dual keys.

52. Peter Diamantidis

Peter Diamantidis still has many years ahead of him when it comes to his property journey. That shouldn’t come as a surprise for a man who bought his first investment property at just 18 years old.

Now in his early 30s, he’s established himself as one of the top 52 agents in the country. And his passion for property shows no sign of abating. Right now, he has 15 properties in his portfolio and he’s also building new developments across Sydney.

He also has 10 projects in development as we speak. And the largest of these is a seven-townhouse development in Sydney that’s just 250 metres from the beach.

While that may be the biggest project he’s worked on up to this point, we believe that even larger developments will be in Peter’s future.

51. Rod Pascoe

Early on in his life, Rod Pascoe thought his destiny was to become a professional swimmer. However, maturity brought with it the realisation that this wasn’t his ideal career path. So, he hung up his trunks and got into the property industry at the age of 21.

Since that fateful decision, he’s managed to work on 20 projects that focus on subdivisions and renovations. He’s also a big believer in the role that health and fitness play in the success of any developer.

50. Sanders Muleya

Amassing 15 real estate investments in the span of six years may seem like a lot of work for many. But it’s this dedication to accelerating his portfolio building that makes Sanders Muleya stand out. 

A Zimbabwe native, Sanders worked as a nurse for many years before moving to Australia in 2004. Two years later, he’d invested in his first property. And since then, Sanders has built a strong portfolio that provides for him and his family. 

He’s now involved in numerous development deals that build new dwellings, generate high cash flow and equity, and allow him to leapfrog into more property deals.

49. Henry Vila

The part-owner of Franco Buildings, Henry Vila has established himself as both a builder and property developer. And the Venezuelan native now helps other prospective developers get into the market.

In terms of his own development work, his company works on an average of 40 units per year. Not only that, but he also works on townhouse projects, as well as individual custom houses.

His plan is to double the size of his business over the next five years. And with so much success behind him, we’re sure that he’ll achieve the goal.

48. Alice and Justin Hagen

Here we have a developer couple here that has truly mastered the art of developing subdivisions.

Alice and Justin Hagen leveraged their strategy in order to build a portfolio valued at $4.5 million. What’s also astonishing is the fact that this young couple did it all while raising three children.

The Hagens are perhaps most notable for beginning their journey at the height of the GFC. While many investors lost their heads during this time, they came up with a workable strategy that serves them well to this day.

Currently, they have a development project in the Sunshine Coast that has the potential for developing seven properties. And their plan is to complete that development over the course of the next five years.

47. Justin Gehde

The host of The Property Developer Podcast, Justin Gehde’s spark for developing started in his own backyard. It was there that the seeds of his current career got planted… While shovelling red clay.

Justin is an authoritative voice in the property development niche. His podcast influences thousands of people, and his company, Gehde Developing, puts him on the frontlines of developing.

His biggest success came in 2013 with a townhouse development project that originally aimed to yield 10 properties. Various setbacks with the local council delayed the project, though it all worked out in his favour. That project eventually became two rows of 10 townhouses, which meant even higher profits in the long run. 

He’s come a long way - from being the depressed man who kept a bottle of vodka under his desk while at work, to someone profiting hundreds of thousands of dollars from property development.

46. Fab Marion

It all started with the goal of building a better future for himself and his parents. Fab Marion saw property as a way to generate some extra income. But as he got deeper into the industry, he developed the expertise needed to make property development his full-time career.

His biggest success came from a development project that created so much equity that he could leverage into a further five projects.

And now, he owns and operates Unlock the Block, a property consulting and subdivision company. Fab’s entire philosophy revolves around trading your capital for time. And with a young family to support, he’s ensuring that he uses property to get back as much time as possible.

45. Hoe Ping Lo & Tack Lee

It may seem a little strange to include two investors in a single entry. However, Hoe Ping Lo & Tack Lee work so closely together that the success of each one feeds into the success of the other.

After combining their forces, the two managed to build a portfolio of 19 properties. They’ve leveraged a buy and hold strategy to achieve much of their success. And according to the couple, a long-term view will almost always lead to profit in property.

While they’ve handled a couple of new builds in their time, their strategy revolves around buying to renovate.

44. Shane Hiscock

Shane Hiscock has expertise in two areas of the property game. As a buyer’s agent with Cohen Handler, he helps investors secure properties that make great additions to their portfolios.

However, he’s also a developer in his own right. From his early days at IBM, Shane’s made huge strides in property. And with multiple properties in his growing portfolio, it’s likely he’ll become one of Australia’s more prominent investors in the coming years.

He had 33 development projects under his belt, with another three of four projects currently in the works.

43. Sunhoc Khou

Sunhoc Khou benefited from working with some great mentors, most notably Troy Harris, during the early part of his career.

Now a residential property specialist, he heads HWD Homes and also privately develops property. A self-admitted pedant, Khou’s success likely comes from his unrivalled eye for detail. His desire to ensure that everything is just right means that he mitigates a lot of the risk in his investments.

His current niche involves working on developments in the four-unit range. But today, he places the majority of his focus on the administrative aspect of development.

42. Louise Fitzgerald-Baker

Effective build management is the key to all of Louise Fitzgerald-Baker’s success. It has to be, seeing as she’s an investor, entrepreneur, real estate agent, and mother. 

This is a woman who simply doesn’t stop in her quest to become an investing legend.

Her largest project to date was a 12-unit boutique development. And the key to her success in that project lay in her ability to do extensive market research. The trends and data that she unveiled resulted in a project that generated an impressive profit.

Louise took the leap of faith to enter property development just recently. A proponent of generating multiple income streams, we can’t wait to see what venture she’ll come up with next.

41. Matt Jones

Many of the property developers and investors on this list manage their portfolios in Australia. But Matt Jones manages to achieve success while living overseas. 

After living in France for 3 years, the former light technician now lives a life of freedom, and it’s all thanks to his investing. While he now focuses primarily on subdivisions, he built his early success by buying old properties and renovating them for profit.

Matt also leverages other people’s wealth in his property development journey, as he focuses on joint venture projects in many cases.

40. Michael Knights

The owner of Horizon Property Alliance, Michael Knights has over three decades of property experience to his name. Today, his focus primarily lies on helping small developers build their businesses.

But he’s still a prominent investor in his own right, with over 30 properties in his portfolio at one point. His key to success is to buy the little renovation projects that reap huge returns. And his company focuses on helping new developers create plans that help them to put this strategy into action.

39. Paul Glossop

Paul Glossop is a man of many talents. As the Director of Pure Property Investment, he helps others secure the investments that set them up for the future. He also invests for himself, and is also a talented property developer and strategist.

His strategy involves taking clients through the various levels of development. Typically, this entails starting them off with buying and holding. That then evolves into having them work on small renovations. And eventually, they graduate to full-scale development projects.

He’s a stickler for the idea that any properties in a portfolio should generate a positive cash flow. And he has involved himself in dozens of projects, both for himself and his clients.

38. Melinda Jennison

If there’s one developer and investor who shows that you can do it all, it’s Melinda Jennison. As well as being a mother of three, she runs several businesses alongside her husband. And of course, she has her investing activities to keep her even more occupied.

Melinda tends to focus on boutique projects, with her largest to date being a seven-unit built in Alderley.

Currently, she focuses her efforts on residential property in Brisbane. However, she says that she’s excited to see where the market takes her in the coming years.

37. Matthew Sukkarieh

Matthew Sukkarieh began his journey into property at a very young age. Learning from his parents, he developed a passion for the industry long before he worked in it.

Now a mortgage broker and financial planner, Matthew helps his clients to achieve their own investment dreams. But he has an area of expertise that most don’t: he specialises in helping people to use their super funds for investing.

36. Melissa Morgan

Most new investors would give up after experiencing a $200,000 loss on a project... But not Melissa Morgan. That loss only furthered her ambition, as she quickly learned what not to do if she wanted to succeed. 

She’s been involved in a lot of development projects, with the largest involving Greg Norman’s golf course developments. And at times, this meant she worked on 200 properties simultaneously.

Today, she works as the founder of Progressive Property, where she helps her clients to manage their investments. And she does all of that while managing her own nine-property portfolio.

35. Harry Charalambous

A $20 million portfolio is nothing to sniff at. And we have a true genius of commercial property in Harry Charalambous.

Harry’s journey started with the founding of an electrical business. This gave him a solid grounding in the renovation work that would later lead to his property success.

And right now, his portfolio contains 12 buildings. He’s also  working on several other options that should come to fruition in the coming years.

34. Darren Wallis

The man behind GJ Gardner Homes, Darren Wallis is one of Australia’s most influential property developers. He made his first investment purchase at 22 and continues to maintain a portfolio to this day.

His company works on projects throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. And right now, the company generates over $1 billion in global revenue per year.

Darren’s masterstroke came from franchising the business to enable it to extend its reach. And outside of the company, he’s also an avid property investor. 

33. Mark Heritage

Mark Heritage specialises in helping property owners maximise the value of the assets they have in their possession. The Director of Over and Under, he’s involved in everything - from small renovations to full developments.

Just how good is he at his job?

One of his most recent projects saw him add $295,000 in equity to a client’s asset. And his understanding of what the market wants and how to develop it has placed Mark under constant demand.

32. Keith Grisman

A lot of people avoid property investing because they don’t believe they have time to do it. And it is this belief that allowed Keith Grisman to carve out his niche in the industry. After all, he specialises in helping time-poor investors build their portfolios.

He started his own investing career at the age of 17, and he had a 30-property portfolio by the time he was 30. Keith also managed to absorb the effects of the GFC to come back stronger than ever.

His most impressive development success to date comes from building a house on a block of land that he owned. This property eventually ended up generating $150,000 in profit for him.

31. Drew Evans

The director of Caifu Property, Drew Evans, cut his teeth with one of Queensland’s most prominent land package developers.

His philosophy revolves around creating a portfolio that suits his lifestyle. 

But beyond his work on his own investments, Drew works closely with several clients to help them build their portfolios. His goal now is to double, or even triple, the size of his current portfolio in the coming years.

Drew endorses forcing equity on his development deals. In fact, one of his most recent projects yielded a $165,000 profit, with hardly any effort other than signing some paperwork.

30. Dawn Canale

Dawn Canale has taken the idea of generating passive income to the extremes that few could ever manage. Right now, she maintains a large portfolio that generates $1 million in passive income per year.

That same portfolio now has a value of $23 million. That’s not a bad number at all for a woman whose first investment came in at $100,000.

And her current strategy involves searching for residential properties that have the potential to become commercial developments.

29 - Tristan Angelini

So many potential investors let what happened in their past hold them back from building an amazing future. And Tristan Angelini’s story should serve as an inspiration to anybody in that position. 

He dropped out of school at 16, because he couldn’t wait to start his life. This “lack” of education never held him back. Nowadays, he runs his own property development company… And he just happens to be a self-made millionaire.

He’s now also working as a property development manager, and his company has 10 projects on the go at any one time. Typically, he specialises in small and medium-sized projects.

28. Darren Standish

The founder of Property Prosperity, Darren Standish was once yet another victim of the GFC. Having invested in a property and subdivided it into 10 units, the GFC put paid to his early efforts.

But, he didn’t stay down.

Darren continues to use subdivisions to his advantage in the modern market. But now, he focuses on making his portfolio bulletproof so that it can survive in any storm. This means focusing both on value creation and having a positive cash flow.

27. Andrew Bodnar

Andrew Bodnar got his start in the property game at just 18 years old. In fact, he was only one month removed from his 18th birthday when he bought his first investment property.

His approach to property has evolved in the years since. Now, he looks for development projects to add to his ever-growing portfolio. With 23 deals under his belt already, look for Andrew to mark an even bigger mark over the course of 2020.

26. Dymphna Boholt

The founder of I Love Real Estate, Dymphna Boholt is one of the key educational voices in Australian property. She’s helped hundreds of regular people get into property investing. And through her seminars, she preaches the virtues of manufactured growth for portfolio building.

Her strategy involves building positive cash flow and leveraging equity to build portfolios. And of course, she maintains a multi-million portfolio of her own while she teaches other people.

25. Bob Anderson

Bob Anderson is one of the authors of Residential Real Estate Development: A Practical Guide for Beginners to Experts.

But his real claim to fame comes from his involvement in projects with a total value of $1 billion.

His true expertise lies in subdivisions. Today, he preaches the gospel of positive cash flow in property. And with three decades in the industry (and counting), he’s a key voice for aspiring developers to listen to.

24. Nhan Nguyen

Nhan Nhuyen points to his parents as the biggest inspiration for his property success. While he was born in Brisbane, his parents fled war-torn Vietnam to come to Australia. And in doing so, they created the potential for a better life for their son.

And Nhan grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

By the time he was 23, he had already built a 3-property portfolio. And today, he trains others on how to get involved in development projects while using as little of their own cash as possible.

23. Luke Harris and Matthew Bateman

There’s always a risk of conflict arising when two people come together to start a business. But Luke Harris and Matthew Bateman managed to stay in sync with each other for years at this point.

Both successful investors in their own rights, the duo made the decision to pool their years of knowledge. And now, they’re jointly building a multimillion-dollar portfolio while working on a host of development projects.

As a matter of fact, they currently control over $150 million worth of developments all around Australia.

22. Sasha Hopkins

At 26 years of age, most people still find themselves trying to figure out what they want to do in life. But for Sasha Hopkins, the answer was always property. He even managed to use property to replace his income by the age of 26.

And he hasn’t looked back.

Today, he has a portfolio consisting of 25 properties. When combined, those properties have a value of between $12 and $13 million.

He’s on this list because he’s recently gotten involved in development. Sasha, in fact, went on a buying spree involving four development sites in quick succession. And he estimates  the value upon completion of these projects to reach between $10 million and $11 million.

21. Trent Giumelli

Trent Giumelli built his reputation on his ability to maximise profits from small property projects. Today, he operates Giumelli Group, which has become amongst the most successful small projects groups in Australia.

He’s part of the list because of the remarkable turnaround he achieved with the company. 

Back in 2013, Trent found himself $427,000 in debt. Yet somehow, he managed to turn that situation around and create a profitable company. Today, his company has a balance sheet that shows $109 million worth of property.

And again, it all came from small and simple projects.

20. Michael Yardney

If you’ve spent any time researching property development and investment on the web, you’ve likely come across Michael Yardney.

His Property Update website is one of Australia’s most valuable property resources. Michael regularly crunches the numbers, analyses stats, and provides his own opinions on the state of the market.

And there are just a few voices in property that carry quite as much authority, with him being one of those. 

He’s also a celebrated author, with a number of bestsellers under his belt. And he continues to maintain a multi-million-dollar portfolio of his own, even though he dedicates so much time to helping others.

Currently, he’s involved in four medium-density development projects, which he intends to keep as long-term investments.

19. Dominique Grubisa

Dominique Grubisa has a true riches to rags to riches again story.

A legal professional who specialises in asset protection, she thought she’d done everything right in her early years as an investor. However, she lost it all and quickly came to learn just how difficult it is to protect assets.

She’s rebuilt her empire in the years since. And now, she focuses on teaching others how to invest, protect their assets, and build businesses. Her DG Institute group may even be one of the most influential in the current market.

A $400,000 profit from one of her earliest deals helped her to realise that the real money lies in property development. And since then, she’s focused on working on small developments where she can minimise risk as much as she needs to.

18. Dean Parker

Managing risk is the name of the game for Dean Parker, and there are few investors out there who do it better than him.

Ironically, his property career began with a huge risk. He left a stable and secure job in IT to work on creating the dream career for himself. And under the stewardship of Dave Bradley, he’s built a strong portfolio that gives him complete freedom.

His journey began with renovations, of which he had about 50 under his belt before he graduated to full development. Now, he’s focused on helping others avoid the pitfalls of development that claim so many projects.

And speaking of Dave Bradley…

17. Dave Bradley

The owner of Bradley Property Group, Dave Bradley managed to survive the storm of the GFC and came out the other side stronger than ever.

He’s already achieved the goal of having complete financial freedom. Now, he’s working in property for the love of doing it. And it definitely helps that he’s capable of turning a $640,000 investment into a $1.2 million development in less than two years. 

Bradley prides himself on being a problem solver, and his approach to property shows that this is exactly what he is.

However, he’s not averse to relying on consultants to help him to solve those problems. And today, he specialises in helping developers cut through bureaucratic red tape to get their projects off the ground.

16. Jason John Byron & Amy Tang

Jason John Byron’s career in property started a little later than most. For over 20 years, he worked as a cameraman. But it was while filming a speaker as she gave a presentation on investing that his life changed.

Along with his partner, Amy Tang, Jason made the decision to become an investor himself. Today, he focuses more on property development. And yet he still leverages that same buy and renovate strategy he learned at the life-changing speaking event.

Jason says that he never buys a property without the intention of doing some work on it. And to date, he’s worked on more than $28 million worth of development projects.

15. Mark Rolton

Mark Rolton’s property career started with a failing business and over $400,000 of debt. Bankruptcy soon followed, but it did little to quell Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit.

By the way, all of this hardship happened when he was just 23 years old.

And now, he’s the head of a property options business that has a yearly turnover of $160 million. Mark made this list because his expertise in a specific area of investing allowed him to pull himself back from the brink.

But in terms of his development career, his biggest achievement to date may have to be having the largest privately-owned manufactured home park portfolio in Australia.

14. Cam McClellan

The director of OpenCorp Australia, Cam McClellan is also the author of My Four Year Old The Property Investor. His goal in property was always to build the life he wanted for himself while he was still young.

And it’s fair to say he succeeded.

Right now, OpenCorp has about 1,000 apartments in development, which amounts to about $600 million of projects. And when he’s not working on his own portfolio, he’s helping others to develop theirs. 

13. John L. Fitzgerald

The founder of JLF Group, John L. Fitzgerald specialises in growth. He buys land in high-growth areas and develops amazing properties that generate big profits.

He’s dedicated his entire life to real estate, and he has more than 30 years of experience to draw upon. Also, he’s an expert when it comes to helping others develop their portfolios. In fact, one of his earliest clients came to him with $20,000 in their pocket. And that same client now has a portfolio valued at $3 million.

In terms of his own development work, he has 370 projects under his belt throughout five Australian states.

Those sorts of results can only come from a true property expert.

12. Brendon Ansell

If there’s one word that Brendon Ansell would use to describe his success, it would be, ‘momentum’. 

The Managing Director of Velocity Property Group, Brendon’s constant forward momentum led to his success. And with 15 large development projects under his belt, Brendon shows no sign of slowing down.

His advice to other developers is to dream big. And there’s no reason why you can’t achieve a similar level of success.

11. Danny Ciarma

The founder of Urban DC, Danny Ciarma has dedicated his life to property development. In fact, he used to take his wife on dates to property auctions and inspections.

Danny’s journey started with Monopoly, with the board game inspiring him to get into the industry. Today, he focuses his efforts as a residential developer of high-end buildings.

And with 20 projects under his belt over the last 15 years, Danny is a true rising star in Australian property.

10. Bob Ell

Now we’re arriving at the real heavyweights of the Australian property sector. Bob Ell has amassed a personal net worth of $1.86 billion during his career.

As the head of Leda Holdings, he owns three shopping malls spread across the country. Beyond that, he owns a staggering 15,000 housing lots, predominantly in NSW and Queensland.

And even at 75, he shows no signs of slowing down. That’s why he’s likely to build on the $3 billion worth of property that he’s worked on since starting his career.

9. Marc Besan

The Chairman of TarraWarra, Marc Besan may have one of the most varied assets based in Australia.

Most people who recognise his name will see him as a major force in the fashion industry. However, he’s also amassed an impressive asset base throughout his career. 

His retail holdings, in particular, massively contribute to his $2.51 billion wealth. And they also leave him with plenty of time to pursue other interests, such as managing the family winery.

8. Greg Farrell

In his work as the CEO of Federal Group, Greg Farrell has become one of the country’s most successful investors. Alongside his family, he has a net worth of over $2 billion. 

The Federal Group’s influence is most prominently felt in Tasmania. After all, the company is the state’s largest employer and maintains a huge portfolio of assets in the territory. 

But we cannot underestimate the importance of Greg’s family in his success. It’s because three members of the Farrell clan serve on the executive board of the Federal Group. And each of them has their own influence on the family’s success.

7. Maurice Alter

The founder of Pacific Group, Maurice Alter has built a $2.61 billion fortune in property.

Born in Poland, he emigrated to Australia alongside his family after the First World War.

Today, he has little involvement in the direct running of his property development company. However, we can still feel his influence through his son, who handles Pacific Group’s affairs nowadays.

6. Greg Goodman

Of all of the people on this list, Greg Goodman may have had the most successful 2019.

As the Chief Executive of the Goodman Group, he’s overseen massive growth over the years. The company started out with a substantial asset based of $35 million. But under Greg’s stewardship, it’s grown to a value of $29 billion over three decades.

2019 saw Greg build an even stronger client base, with BMW and Amazon now counted among the companies he works with. And we believe that the Goodman Group will amass an asset base above $50 billion sooner, rather than later.

5. John Gandel

Mark Rolton’s property career started with a failing business and over $400,000 of debt. Bankruptcy soon followed, but it did little to quell Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit.

By the way, all of this hardship happened when he was just 23 years old.

And now, he’s the head of a property options business that has a yearly turnover of $160 million. Mark made this list because his expertise in a specific area of investing allowed him to pull himself back from the brink.

But in terms of his development career, his biggest achievement to date may have to be having the largest privately-owned manufactured home park portfolio in Australia.

4. Lang Walker

For over 50 years, Lang Walker has been an influencer in the property development sector.

In fact, he’s worked on over 1,000 projects during his long and storied career.

Today, we see him as one of the driving forces towards sustainability in Australia. But perhaps his most lasting legacy will be his dedication to staying at the cutting edge of the industry for as long as he has.

3. Hui Wing Mau

As the Chairman of Shimao Property Holdings, Hui Wing Mau has amassed $8.63 billion in wealth. 

And unlike many of the people on this list, he’s predominantly based in a different country.

Hui made his billions developing properties throughout China and Hong Kong. However, he’s turned his eye to Australia in recent years, which has only helped him to increase his fortune even more.

2. James Packer

When it comes to developing resorts, nobody beats James Packer in Australia. The tycoon, after all, is the majority shareholder of Crown Resorts and has established an international business.

The company owns a number of gaming establishments in both Australia and London. And it is through the continued development of these properties that Packer made his billions.

Though not as prominent as he once was, he’s still a major player in Australian property.

1. Harry Triguboff

Could anybody else lay claim to the number one spot on this list? 

There’s a good reason why Urban Developer named him their top property player of 2019.

And we believe he’ll remain in that position throughout 2020.

Harry Triguboff is Australia’s most prominent real estate tycoon, thanks to his work with Meriton. He made his fortune developing high-rise apartment blocks throughout the country. And he did this at a crucial time when few others saw the potential in apartment living.

Today, he has a fortune of $12.3 billion to his name. And still, he shows very little sign of ever slowing down.

The Top 60 Property Developers and Investors to Watch Out for in Australia in 2020