Mr Wal King

Wal King began his career with Leighton in 1968 working on major construction projects all over Australia and quickly moved into management, becoming a Director of Leighton Holdings Limited in 1975. He was appointed CEO of Leighton Holdings in February 1987. He is also a Director of all major operating subsidiaries.

Under his leadership, the Leighton Group has grown from an organisation with a market capitalisation of around $100 million and revenue of around $1 billion to one with a market capitalisation of $15 billion and annual revenue of more than $12 billion.

The organisation now has a very diversified base of construction, property and services businesses in Australia, Asia and the Gulf region, and is the largest contract miner in the world. The Group directly employs over 27,000 staff and has some 60,000 people employed on its projects globally.

Mr King participates in various business groups and is President of the Australian Constructors Association. Mr King is an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia; a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, the Australian Institute of Building and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He is also a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In October 2002, Wal King was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of New South Wales for his distinguished eminence in the field of construction engineering.