Standing today as a global property services juggernaut, Colliers International began in the mid 1960’s as a collaboration between three independent and well-established Australian professional real estate services firms. A vision of entrepreneurship was what brought the founders of Colliers together. Since then, Colliers International has evolved from ambitious, independent local business owners to an organisation of 522 offices and over 13,500 employees in over 62 countries around the world, with global headquarters based in Seattle, Washington.
Sydney based co founder of Colliers International Robert McCuaig says, “The basis of our robust and sustainable growth has been to seek out partners who share our common values and spirit of enterprise. This method of quality expansion will continue to see the Colliers International business grow exponentially”.
MP: What services does Colliers International provide and what gives the organisation its edge and viral growth?
Robert: Colliers International services investors, property owners, tenants and developers around the world. Now a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, we have a global reach which enables us to provide an all-encompassing property service to our wide range of clients. In addition to transactional services; we also work extensively in development and property management services; valuation and appraisal; asset management; corporate consultancy and project management.
Through a culture of service excellence, and a shared sense of initiative, we integrate the resources of real estate specialists worldwide to accelerate the success of our partners and clients. We don’t believe it’s enough to just deliver great real estate services. We want to accelerate the success of everyone with whom we come in contact.
MP: Can you tell a bit about your story personally and how you came to be in Australia prior to the inception of Colliers International, as we know it today?
Robert: I was born in Great Britain, and I made my start in real estate as an Articled Clerk with Montagh, Evans and Son, a London-based firm specialising in property valuation, taxation, and town planning. I was about to embark on a two-year national service stint in the navy after graduation when the British government cancelled the national service.
My path then crossed with Ronald Collier, who was a chartered surveyor originally from Britain. Ronald had brought Jones Lang Wootton to Australia as Collier Jones Lang Wootton; he hired me and became my mentor.
In 1967 I launched my own firm in Sydney called Robert McCuaig & Company. The following year I partnered with David Collier, creating McCuaig & Collier in Sydney.
Also in 1968 another of the three firms that would create Colliers International was formed in the city of Adelaide, Collier Duncan & Cook. A year later the final founding firm, Glynn Lynch & McHarg, took shape in Melbourne.
MP: Where did the name “Colliers” come from?
Robert: We named the organisation “Colliers” in 1976 in honour of Ronald Collier, respected mentor to myself and the other co-founders, Desmond Glynn, Bill McHarg, Roger Cook and George Duncan. Initially as our offices were in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne we did not have the “international” as part of the name.
The key instigator for us to expand the business globally was when one of our major clients, Qantas needed help to spread internationally and hired Jones Lang Wootton to serve as joint agent with us. We had been Qantas’s exclusive agent until this time. That made us realise we needed to go international, so we decided to expand into Hong Kong, prompting the start of our international expansion
MP: What made Colliers International expand into Vancouver?
Robert: Having spent considerable time in Vancouver, we thought it would work well to have an office there as a springboard into North America. In 1982 we were introduced to Macaulay Nicholls Maitland, who were a natural partner due to their similar values.
They were founded in Vancouver in1898 as a real estate, property management and insurance agency. At that time, there were 50 registered real estate companies in the two-year-old city – more than the number of grocery stores!
John McLernon, their CEO, took the helm of Macaulay Nicolls Maitland in 1977. Over the next 25 years he would build the company from a provincial operation in Vancouver, BC and Calgary, AB with revenue of $1.5 million to a global enterprise with $1.8 billion in revenue in 2011, as Colliers International.
In 1984, Colliers International joined forces with Macaulay Nicolls Maitland, leading the shift in our industry from regional real estate companies to a global services organisation. This prompted Macaulay Nicolls Maitland to change its name to Colliers Macaulay Nicolls and later to Colliers International. CEO John McLernon led the charge to form partnerships worldwide.
MP: What are some of the other key milestones in the evolution of Colliers International?
Robert: Over the following years we expanded globally so that we had a presence in Asia, New Zealand, across the United States, South America, South Africa and throughout Europe.
As we grew globally, we had to contend with affiliated companies spread over a wide area. To improve communications between the disparate units, the parent company connected everyone electronically in 1989. This move contributed greatly to our ability to make deals on a global scale.
In 2001 we exceeded the $1 billion mark in annual revenues, ranking second in the industry.
In 2002 our global head office moved from Vancouver, Canada to Seattle due to a change in leadership. Doug Frye was appointed CEO and is our current global leader.
We obtained a new 70% shareholder in 2004, First Service, who has continued to help the company accelerate its vision of providing the best property services in the world. First Service is a Canadian-based public company who has an exclusive focus on the services sector.
In Australia, 2006 and 2007 saw two major acquisitions of market-leading companies, PRDnationwide and Roberts Weaver Group, positioning Colliers International as the strongest and most dominant real estate services provider in Australasia.
In 2010 Colliers International brand was consolidated with all firms across the globe working under the single brand name Colliers International. The six regional CEOs (in Asia, Australasia, Canada, EMEA, Latin America and the US) are now led by global President & CEO Doug Frye. John Kenny, CEO Australia & New Zealand has led the business here since 2006 and has been instrumental in a number of acquisitions and overall diversification of the business.
MP: You are extremely active within the Colliers business and equally so in the greater international property sphere, what are you working on at the moment?
Robert: I am passionate about property and the dynamics that create value. As a result my roles have been varied and many over the years.
I have acted as property advisor to The University of Sydney, Westpac, Qantas Airways, Sydney Port Authority, Benevolent Society of NSW, the State of New South Wales, the Commonwealth of Australia and Sydney City Council. I formerly acted as chairman of Principal America Office Trust and director of Bunnings Warehouse Property Trust. I am currently on the advisory board for St Vincents Hospital.
I am currently working on an expressions of interest campaign for a 32,000 sqm mixed use development opportunity above the City Tattersalls Club at 194-204 Pitt Street, which includes the air rights. It’s a prime apartment development site in the city that we have been working very closely on with the Tattersalls club for some time now. We are confident that we will get the club a wonderful result.
MP: What are the corner stone values that have enabled Colliers to grow to where it is today?
Robert: Service, expertise, community and fun. We all go the extra mile for all our clients!
Contact:
Robert McCuaig Co Founder of Colliers International
Robert.mccuaig@colliers.com
+61 2 9257 0222
www.colliers.com.au
