Justin Woodcock: Bringing billion-dollar visions to life with bold consulting

Justin Woodcock’s most rewarding or even longest running development project isn’t a Saudi Arabian giga-city. It’s not Newington – The Sydney Olympic Village. Or even Quay Quarter Precinct Sydney. 

“I used to make little bits of furniture in mum and dad’s backyard shed when I was young. Each piece was like a ‘project’ to me,” he says with a laugh. 

It started with a billy cart and soon snowballed out of control into chairs, tables and wine cellars that would take six months to complete. “Little projects” that he still embarks on till this day. 

“I really enjoy having a goal, thinking it through, planning it, preparing it, buying the materials, executing it, and then the sense of satisfaction and achievement at the end. Anyone in our industry knows this feeling. It doesn't matter if you're working on a coffee table or the new Sydney Fish Markets, those similar principles apply.”  

Small details and big responsibilities 

Justin understands the complexities of mega-scale developments. He needs to, given his new role as Managing Director of CBRE Australia and New Zealand’s newly unified Consulting practices. It’s a title which will see him leading a collective team of over 200 consultants and advisors supporting commercial office workplaces, precinct redevelopment, national property portfolios, all the way up to major economic infrastructure. This means he will be heading the in-house practices that specialise in Real Estate Strategy, Structured Transactions, Development & Infrastructure Advisory, Building Depreciation, Sustainability and Workplace Solutions.  

It’s a responsibility that comes at a crucial time for Australia, which is seeing unprecedented immigration and population growth - a figure that’s set to expand to 31.3 million people by 2034. It also places emphasis on a major pillar of functioning societies: The delivery of vital housing, and social and economic infrastructure to shape future cities and their communities. CBRE is well placed to address this challenge as the organisation is the largest provider of real estate services in Australia and globally.  

It's a significant challenge, but with 40 years of industry experience, a seasoned property specialist like Justin is well-equipped to help address the shifting socio-economic demands on communities, much like he’d design a table for everyone. 

From rural life to building the world 

Growing up in a small town in country NSW, Justin knows how lucky he is to have obtained a university education. Many of his peers from the same rural areas never considered or received this opportunity.  

“Studying in Sydney exposed me to what career pathways are available, from what international best practice looks like to establishing the professional networks that shaped my career.” 

He was inspired to see this big world for himself. The first step? Earning a prominent cadetship that would throw him into the deep end.  

“I was fortunate to be given the responsibility of managing large projects for Lendlease quite early; managing large teams, design, procurement, commercial management, risk management, safety, and of course client and stakeholder management.”  

From there he went on to lead and advise on projects across Asia, New Zealand, the United States and more recently, the aforementioned $900 billion development in Saudi Arabia. It was this international exposure that taught him how to refine his skillset to suit development projects and manage businesses.  

Justin’s career highlights include:   

• Leading teams and supporting some of today’s biggest development and infrastructure projects from global giga-cities, multi-billion-dollar US military housing communities and nation building social housing programs. On the local front this includes city-shaping projects like Sydney’s Barangaroo, Quay Quarter Precinct, Macquarie Martin Place, Westmead Hospital, Newington – The Sydney Olympic Village and now Queensland’s 2032 Olympic Village.  
• Contributing critical housing through his involvement in the Waterloo South Renewal Project, an estate set to provide over 1,000 new social housing dwellings, 600 affordable homes and 1,500 private homes in an integrated community. He’s also led the development of 6,300 social housing dwellings as part of the nation building stimulus program during the GFC. 
• Advising Government delivery agencies on high profile public projects including the new Sydney Fish Markets, White Bay Power Station redevelopment, Barangaroo Headland Park and the Westmead Hospital Redevelopment. 

The next frontier? Applying his wealth of experience in successful large-scale developments and programs into other areas of property advice including Strategy, Sustainability, Due Diligence & Depreciation and Workplace Solutions. 

Breaking convention: A leader’s secret to delivering success 

Whether it’s public or private-sector projects, Justin’s track record across asset classes is as diverse as it is extensive. It’s a personal trait that comes from a deep understanding of the common challenges faced by modern projects requiring expert management across all stages of the property asset lifecycle. 

These are the three core leadership skills he’s pioneering at CBRE:  

• Seeing solutions where others don’t 
  
  “In Australia, planning consent and bureaucracy are significant challenges. There's so much opportunity to streamline our planning application and approval processes at all levels of government. Achieving this will accelerate further infrastructure and private sector development and investment,” Justin says. 
  
  But it’s not just about identifying inefficiencies; it’s about coming up with ways to solve them as well.  
  
  “There are government instruments that allow us to accelerate project commencement. And there are ways to expedite the design, procurement and commencement of projects. Only half of the clients that we work with would be actively aware of ways to accelerate those processes. In addition, some Government entities are not aware of barriers or inefficiencies created, sometimes because of their own internal paradigms.” 
• Providing independent, honest, and concise advice  
  
  In an industry as competitive as consulting, it’s easy to fall into the trap of always agreeing with your client, not respectfully providing frank advice or just going along with the status quo, rather than getting to the bottom of what’s really best for each client. 
  
  “I've seen many examples of poor quality, inaccurate or lazy advice provided to clients simply because the consultant is focusing mostly on getting the client to like them. That’s why you really need to be honest and respectful while tailoring your advice to suit every client's needs. They will respect that in the end,” Justin explains. 
  
  “At CBRE we have built a reputation and trusted relationships with our clients based on the quality of our advice, the high calibre of our people and our ability to produce results.” 
  
  A perfect example of this is the development of Metro Martin Place. CBRE provided Macquarie Group with construction planning and remediation advice for 50 Martin Place, as well as client-side development support and in-house project management through the design and delivery phases of the Sydney Metro Martin Place integrated station development. 
• Leveraging solid foundations in property 
  
  “Property is simply in our DNA at CBRE,” says Justin.  
  
  “When you’ve grown up in the industry and seen a wide range of approaches taken to the same property challenges over time, you’ve seen everything that’s been done poorly, reasonably well, and extraordinarily well. You can then apply strategies to help clients save millions. It's easy to do if you’ve seen those alternative methods work elsewhere. It’s incredibly rewarding when a few observations or suggestions are adopted by your client, and it results in them saving millions and even tens of millions of dollars. 
  
  “In our markets today, when you're making large investment decisions, you need much more than accurate data in your feasibility study - you need market insight. Who’s active in the market? Who’s performing and has the best management teams? What asset mix is highest and best use and will perform best in that specific location in six years’ time? What are the real costs, timelines, and market trends shaping your development? How can we mitigate or capitalise on the risks.”  
  
  This unmatched visibility is how Justin and his team at CBRE stand apart from the industry. 
  
  “CBRE work with every major investor and real estate player in Australia and globally. Our clients gain access to proprietary research and forward-looking analysis no competitor can offer. This, coupled with our industry DNA and advice helps our clients achieve exceptional outcomes.” 

A seat at the table: Building life-changing opportunities 

Justin isn’t likely to start up his own furniture manufacturing empire just yet.  

“The quality's not very good, but the enjoyment factor is very high,” he laughs.  

The one thing he is most proud to have created is the Woodcock Family Scholarship, a foundation providing today’s rural secondary school students with financial support, mentoring and advocacy.  

“I met one student who didn't have a desk to study on at home. Many are not surrounded by people who have gone on to further study after school. So, I wanted to give these kids some basic financial support and a greater opportunity to consider tertiary education and career pathways. It’s the best project I've ever done in my life.” 

A metaphorical table he’s building, where everyone gets a seat? It’s the quality of a leader of the newly unified Consulting team that CBRE is proud to champion.