The founder of Multiplex, John Roberts AO has passed away at the age of 72 after a long illness, the Roberts family said yesterday.
In a statement, the Roberts family said his (John) passion and his deep understanding of people, property markets and Australian heritage will be greatly missed by all.
“John always believed Multiplex was its people, and he attributed Multiplex’s success to their quality and their commitment to the construction and property industry.
“This will be one of John’s greatest legacies. In 1988 John was awarded an Order of Australia for his contribution to the Construction and Horse Racing industries.
“His contribution to the property industry was widely acknowledged, and was recognised by the Australian Constructors’ Association in 1999 when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award,” the family added.
Roberts founded the company in Perth in 1962, initially constructing many of the major buildings in Perth.
In 1978, Roberts began a national expansion, marked by the opening of a second office in New South Wales.
Two years later, another office was opened in Victoria, followed by the Australian Capital Territory in 1987, and South Australia and Queensland in 1989.
Over the forty years, Multiplex has become one of Australia’s biggest builders responsible for the Telstra Stadium in Sydney, as well as the BankWest tower in Perth, Citigroup Centre in Sydney, Riparian Plaza in Brisbane and Parliament House in the Northern Territory.
In recent times, the company has strengthened its international expansion in the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
In December 2003, Roberts publicly listed Multiplex onto the Australian Stock Exchange.
His son Andrew is currently the chief executive of Multiplex.
"John’s legacy is an enormous one in the fields of property and construction. He was a man of great energy and vision and will be sorely missed,” Multiplex’s chairman Allan McDonald said.
By Nelson Yap
