Wal King, chief executive of Leighton Holdings, has been named as Property Person of the Year 2008 by the Urban Taskforce.

Mr King’s leadership of Leighton Group has been exceptional – it’s not only been good for the Leighton Group, it’s been great for the national economy. Mr King has helped shape Australia with billions of dollars of development.

Since Mr King was appointed CEO of Leighton Holdings in 1987, he has overseen a transformation in Leighton, from a mid-tier contractor with a market capitalisation of $100 million, to one of the leading contractors in the Asia/Pacific region and one of the most successful project development and construction groups in the world.

Leighton Group 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 29,000 staff and has some 70,000 people employed on its projects globally

The Leighton Group has developed a number of recent iconic projects in Australia including the award winning KENS building (Westpac) and the Southern Cross Station in Melbourne. Previous major building projects in Sydney have included the Star City Casino, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital redevelopment, the Angel Place Office Tower and Recital Hall and the ABC Headquarters in Ultimo.

The Leighton Group are currently expanding into residential development in Australia. The Group is also delivering a number of major building projects in Asia such as the City of Dreams Casino in Macau, and in the Middle East including the JAFZA convention centre in Dubai

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The Property Person of the Year Award, now in its 6th year, was presented to Mr King at a gala charity dinner on Tuesday April 8, 2008.  Proceeds were donated to Warrah Disability Services and St Vincent’s Prostate Cancer Centre.

Past winners include:

• Mr Harry Triguboff, Chairman and Managing Director of Meriton Apartments Pty Ltd.
• Mr Lang Walker, Chairman of Walker Corporation
• Mr Liam Forde, Chief Executive of Baulderstone Hornibrook
• Mr Bill Moss AM, Group Head and Chief Executive Officer of the Banking and Property Group, Macquarie Bank; and
• Mr Greg Goodman, Group Chief Executive Officer of Goodman International Limited.  

The Warrah Society and St Vincent's Prostate Cancer Centre

The Warrah Sociey is a charity which provides residential accommodation, education and day services for over 100 people with intellectual disabilities in Dural, NSW.

Prostate cancer remains a major health issue leading to 3,000 deaths per year. The St. Vincent's Prostate Cancer Centre is located at St. Vincent's Private Hospital, Sydney. The centre works to improve patient care through research, information, education and a multidisciplinary approach.

The Urban Taskforce Australia Ltd coordinates the Property Person of the Year Award nomination and judging process and holds the associated fundraising appeal in conjunction with these two charities.