Maha Sinnathamby Explained

Maha Sinnathamby
Birth Date:1939 12, df=y
Birth Place:Rantau, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Alma Mater:University of New South Wales
Children:4

Maha Sinnathamby AM (born 10 December 1939 in Rantau, Seremban, Malaysia) is an Australian businessman and property developer.[1] [2] He is the entrepreneur behind the Greater Springfield Development in Queensland, the largest master-planned community in Australia.[3]

In 2019, Sinnathamby's Springfield City Group was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in recognition of their visionary entrepreneurship in establishing Springfield, as a nation-building project and Australia's first privately-constructed city.[4]

Early life and education

Born in Malaysia on 10 December 1939,[5] Maha Sinnathamby is a Hindu of Sri Lankan Tamil descent.

His childhood was spent on a British-owned rubber estate in the small farming village of Rantau, Negeri Sembilan. His father worked for the plantation but was taken as a prisoner of war in July 1944 during the Japanese occupation of Malaysia. In September 1945, his father was released.[6]

Maha moved to Australia and studied civil engineering at the University of New South Wales. After graduating, he worked as a civil and design engineer for several years in South East Asia before returning to Australia.

Business career

He started his own property business in Perth in 1971, before moving to Queensland in the early 1980s. He continued building the company with numerous small residential subdivisions and several commercial projects in the region.

Greater Springfield Development

In 1992 with business partner Bob Sharpless, Sinnathamby bought a 2,860 hectare (approx 7067 acre) area of land in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, for $7.9 million. He then lobbied for basic education and transport infrastructure to be built in the area, which required a rezoning bill to be passed. On 24 January 1997, Queensland Parliament unanimously voted in favour of the legislation.

The Greater Springfield area was designed as Australia's largest master-planned community (10th largest globally), and is focused on interconnected pillars of health, education, and information technology:

Currently, more than $15 billion has been invested by public and private stakeholders into the project.[13] A$1.2 billion dual track major rail line and transit hub was established in 2013 and connected Greater Springfield to the wider South East Queensland area.[14] Greater Springfield's current population is approximately 35,000, with a predicted growth to 105,000 by 2030.[15] Greater Springfield's masterplan also retains 30 per cent of the land holding for open, green space.

Springfield City Group

Sinnathamby established Springfield City Group (formerly Springfield Land Corporation), of which he is the chairman, in conjunction with the purchase of the plot that would become Greater Springfield. The company is responsible for overseeing the development of the Greater Springfield area.

Personal life

In 1968 he married Yoga, and they have three daughters – Raynuha, Meera, Uma – and a son, Naren. Maha enjoys playing golf at Brookwater.[16]

Net worth

In 2017, The Australian Financial Review added Sinnathamby to its list of Australian billionaires Rich List at 57th position with a net worth of 1.02 billion.[17]

YearFinancial Review
Rich List		Forbes
Australia's 50 Richest
RankNet worth (A$)Rank
2015[18] $740 million
2016[19] $650 million
2017[20] [21] $1.02 billion
2018[22] [23] $1.21 billion
2019[24] [25] $1.27 billion $980 million
2020[26] $1.35 billion
2021[27] $1.78 billion
2022$1.80 billion
2023[28] $1.82 billion
Legend
Icon Description
Has not changed from the previous year
Has increased from the previous year
Has decreased from the previous year

Philanthropy

Sinnathamby has donated more than 200 million of land and funds for vital social infrastructure, and established a program of scholarships within Greater Springfield to assist people with limited access to education. Sinnathamby also mentors a select group of young professionals, helping them to achieve personal excellence.

Awards and recognition

Sinnathamby's work was acknowledged globally in 2010 with the emerging Greater Springfield being named the world's best master-planned community by the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI). He also won the Ernst and Young Master Entrepreneur of the Year.[29]

The University of Queensland awarded Sinnathamby with an Honorary Doctorate for his continuous contribution to the community in July 2023.[30]

Member (AM) of the Order of Australia

In 2019, Sinnathamby received an appointment as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his significant service to the community and the construction sector.

See also

Further reading

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Member of the Order of Australia – Maha Sinnathamby . 2023-09-28 . en-US.
  2. Web site: Australia's 50 Richest People. Schmidt. Lucinda. 27 January 2016. Forbes. 13 July 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160627214854/http://www.forbes.com/profile/maha-sinnathamby/. 27 June 2016. dmy-all.
  3. Web site: Greater Springfield named Australia's best master planned development – Greater Springfield. 20 March 2015. 14 July 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160513110451/http://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/2015/03/news/greater-springfield-named-australias-best-master-planned-development/. 13 May 2016. dmy-all.
  4. Web site: 2019 Hall of Fame. 2019. Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame. State Library of Queensland. https://web.archive.org/web/20190719030759/http://leaders.slq.qld.gov.au/inductees/. 19 July 2019. dead. 19 July 2019.
  5. News: City A Driver of Jobs Growth. Passmore. Daryl. 11 December 2016. Sunday Mail. 29. Mr Sinnathamby who turned 77 yesterday.
  6. Book: McCreadie, Karen. Stop Not Till the Goal is Reached: The 10 Principles for Fearless Success That Inspired Maha Sinnathamby to Build a City. 31 July 2012. John Wiley & Sons. 9781742468587. en.
  7. Web site: Education City – Greater Springfield. 14 July 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160510200933/http://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/education/education-city/. 10 May 2016. dmy-all.
  8. Web site: Education in Greater Springfield: A Vision For Life-long Learning. Greater Springfield. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160317211139/http://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Greater-Springfield-Education-Brochure.pdf. 17 March 2016. dmy-all.
  9. Web site: Health City – Greater Springfield. 14 July 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160713181431/http://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/health/health-city/. 13 July 2016. dmy-all.
  10. Web site: Aveo Springfield. The Aveo Group. 14 July 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160918094212/http://www.aveo.com.au/retirement-villages/qld/brisbane-south/aveo-springfield. 18 September 2016. dmy-all.
  11. Web site: Polaris Data Centre – Greater Springfield. 14 July 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160805010951/http://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/technology/polaris-data-centre/. 5 August 2016. dmy-all.
  12. Web site: IDEA City – Greater Springfield. 14 July 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160807060501/http://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/technology/idea-city/. 7 August 2016. dmy-all.
  13. Web site: Springfield founder doubts another city like it is possible in Australia. Foster. Sophie. 28 May 2016. The Daily Telegraph.
  14. Web site: Springfield here we come: rail line construction to begin mid-year. Calligeros. Marissa. 20 February 2011 . 14 July 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304231941/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/springfield-here-we-come-rail-line-construction-to-begin-midyear-20110220-1b0sl.html. 4 March 2016. dmy-all.
  15. Web site: SEQRP and Greater Springfield. Springfield Land Corporation. 2. 14 July 2016.
  16. Web site: Maha Sinnathamby. greaterspringfield.com. 3 September 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180323090728/https://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/us/maha-sinnathamby/. 23 March 2018. dmy-all.
  17. News: Billionaire Rich List ranks swell to record number. Stensholt. John. 26 May 2017. The Australian Financial Review. 20 August 2019. Tadros. Edmund.
  18. News: 2015 Australia's 50 Richest. 10 June 2015. Forbes Asia. March 2015 .
  19. News: Gina Rinehart Loses Her No. 1 Spot. 22 October 2019. Forbes Asia. 27 January 2016 .
  20. News: Financial Review Rich List 2017 . Stensholt, John . . 25 May 2017 . 8 June 2017 .
  21. News: Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax . Mayne, Stephen . Stephen Mayne . . Private Media . 26 May 2017 . 10 October 2019 .
  22. Web site: 2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?. The Australian Financial Review. 25 May 2018. Stensholt, John. 26 May 2018.
  23. Web site: Maha Sinnathamby . . October 2018 .
  24. Web site: Australia's 200 richest people revealed. . Nine Publishing. 30 May 2019. Bailey. Michael. 31 May 2019.
  25. News: 2019 Australia's 50 Richest. 28 September 2019. Forbes Asia. January 2019 .
  26. Web site: The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed. subscription. The Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. 30 October 2020. Bailey, Michael. Sprague, Julie-anne. 31 October 2020.
  27. News: Bailey, Michael . Sprague, Julie-anne . The 200 richest people in Australia revealed . . 27 May 2021 . 28 May 2021.
  28. News: Bailey, Michael . Sprague, Julie-anne . The 200 richest people in Australia revealed . . 26 May 2023 . 6 June 2023.
  29. Web site: QLD Honours Entrepreneurs. 14 September 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20180414031100/http://www.braintree.com.au/media/news20030914.htm. 14 April 2018. live. 14 April 2018.
  30. Web site: Queensland . The University of . Lucia . Australia Brisbane St . Gatton . QLD 4072 +61 7 3365 1111 Other Campuses: UQ . Maps . UQ Herston . Queensland . Directions © 2023 The University of . Two community members awarded UQ's highest honour . 2023-09-28 . UQ News . en.

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