We celebrated our 60 year anniversary from July 2022 - July 2023 and a lot has changed in that time. During our sixty years of making, we’ve stayed agile enough to harness new opportunities, pulled back when we needed to and remain strong in and ever-changing market. Take a look at how we’ve evolved into the business we are today.
Multiplex began as a small construction company in Perth, Western Australia. Established by John C Roberts AO in 1962, its name originated from the rapidly-multiplying Echinopsis Multiplex cactus, signifying Roberts' plans for swift growth.
Multiplex’s first project was an effluent pipeline in Perth’s south. It quickly gained a reputation for delivering major Perth landmarks on time and on budget, before expanding into NSW in 1978 and constructing some of Sydney’s largest CBD buildings.
Multiplex continued its interstate expansion throughout the 1980s, opening offices in Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland.
By 1989, it was Australia’s largest privately owned construction company. Simultaneously in the 1980s and 1990s, the group began expanding offshore, leveraging its track record in Australia to establish operations in South East Asia, New Zealand, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.
During this time Multiplex constructed some of the world’s most iconic buildings including Stadium Australia in Sydney, Federation Square in Melbourne, Emirates Tower in Dubai and the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium in London.
Multiplex expanded its role beyond traditional design and construction contracting into property development, gaining recognition as a developer of commercial, residential, retail and industrial property.
It also diversified into engineering, delivering the ambitious Bayu-Darwin Pipeline project in the Timor Sea in 2003.
In 2003, Multiplex was floated on the Australian Stock Exchange.
In 2008, Multiplex was acquired by Brookfield Asset Management, a North American global alternative asset manager with US$150 billion of assets under management. It reverted to being a pure play builder.
In 2011, Multiplex expanded into Brookfield's home city of Toronto.
60 years on, Multiplex has developed a reputation for shaping skylines and delivering iconic projects around the world.
It has delivered 1,100 projects with a combined value in excess of US$90 billion, and employs more than 2,600 people.
Its parent company Brookfield continues to provide financial strength and global relationships, with US$600 billion of assets under management.
