3 November 2007

Springfield visionary honoured with AIM Medal of Innovation

An inspiring business visionary has been honoured for his innovative approach in creating a world-class, modern city that tackles the challenges of building a new community and socially uplifting an economically depressed region of South East Queensland.

Chairman and Founder of Springfield Land Corporation, Dr Maha Sinnathamby, was last night awarded the coveted 2007 Fisher & Paykel Medal for Management Innovation at the Australian Institute of Management's 2007 Management Excellence Awards State Final.

The medal, conferred by the Board of the Australian Institute of Management, seeks to honour stand-out business leaders who have demonstrated breakthrough innovation on the Australian and world stage.

AIM Board Chairman John Hoey FAIM said Dr Sinnathamby was chosen for his long-held standards of management innovation, on which his businesses are built.

"Greater Springfield is a community-of-the-future success story and Dr Sinnathamby has received this award because of his uncompromising drive to incorporate leading edge management practices and new technologies at all stages of the development," Mr Hoey said.

"His dream to create a new city from nothing in just 15 years has well and truly been realised. The innovation and overall vision required to deliver the reality of an attractive, technologically connected community which will draw in individuals and businesses is worthy of this honour."

Dr Sinnathamby said he was humbled and honoured to receive such a great award from such an esteemed organisation as the Australian Institute of Management.

"I accept this award on behalf of my wife and family who are supporting me in my journey to achieve my vision of building a very special city," Dr Sinnathamby said.

"I also accept this award on behalf of my business partner of over 23 years, Bob Sharpless, and all the loyal staff, Government and corporate participants who have helped shape Springfield , along with the thousands of residents who have moved here.

"They have had real faith in Springfield together with the businesses and education providers who invested here they are the foundation of a population which will eventually reach over 100,000 in a city the size of Darwin.

"All of us who succeed and who are in privileged positions in life, owe our success to education. It is the one thing that can change lives, uplift our society and help this great nation of ours reach its full potential."

The Medal of Innovation sits alongside four other award categories acknowledging managers who can be considered the best of Australian talent including: Professional Manager of the Year, Owner Manager of the Year, Young Manager of the Year and Rural/Remote Manager of the Year.

Dr Sinnathamby purchased 2860 hectares of land just south of Goodna in 1992 for $7.9 million. At the time, his master planned, technologically advanced, world class community concept did not meet with universal acceptance, but his passion,commitment and persistence to make his dream a reality, eventually turned resistance around.

Springfield is already home to over 15,000 residents who access broadband in their daily lives to unprecedented levels. Springfield will cater for over 100,000 people with the vision that they will be able to live, work, learn and play in their own city because of the creation of over 30,000 jobs and a master plan that provides all their daily needs..

The combination of the modern 10-story Springfield Tower office building, plus the world-class Polaris Data Centre will provide local, national and international businesses with a corporate and ICT capacity they have not previously enjoyed.

Dr Sinnathamby's great passion is education, which led to him conceiving the 18 hectare Education City Precinct within Greater Springfield, which will eventually house up to 10,000 students from pre-school right through to PhD University level.

Springfield will also be home to Health City a unique world-class model that will feature public and private health facilities side-by-side in an integrated facillity. It has been modelled by the world-famous Harvard Medical International and will include hospitals, hotels, specialist medical services, aged care retirement, respite and other health services.

The Springfield story has been possible through a number of strategic partnerships brokered by Dr Sinnathamby. A deal signed in 1999 with Delfin Lend Lease brought much needed capital and expertise to the project. Another deal with a Macquarie Bank-Great White Shark Enterprises Joint Venture called Medallist allowed the development of the award winning Brookwater Golf Course and 851-lot residential estate.

The development is now held by planners, both in Australia and internationally, as a pioneering model of a "smart city" that offers people a new way to live, work, learn and play in a modern society.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact Helen Thomas at Sequel Communications, on (07) 07 3251 8133 or 0403 500 412

Or

Ian Eckersley, Principal Consultant, Three Plus Marketing Communications on (07) 3503 5700 or 0430 102922