13 October 2026
As told by Leed co-founder and Chairman of the Leed Board Andrew Millar – 5 minute read
The story of Leed is a tribute to the power of taking chances, backing people, and the importance of relationships, plus a lot of hard work.
What started out as four people with not much more than a vision and bags of grit and determination, is now a successful 25-year-old company.
From its small beginnings in a tiny, less than luxurious office in Adelaide’s east, Leed has grown exponentially. The company boasts more than 400 staff and offices in Adelaide, Cooma, Bendigo and Melbourne. Leed was this year acquired by the UK’s JN Bentley, part of the global Mott MacDonald Group—becoming the Australian construction arm of the company.
One of Leed’s founders Andrew Millar takes us back to where it all began.
The seeds of Leed
Andrew initially met Leed co-founder Graeme Lawler while they were both on the board of CCF SA in the late 1990s. Both had already recorded significant careers in the civil engineering and construction industry around Australia.
Andrew told Graeme of his decision to return to Melbourne for a job and, within the hour, a counter offer had been extended. Graeme had declared: ‘You and I are starting a company.’ Andrew recalls being taken aback: ‘That wasn’t even on my radar – I had no idea how to start a company!’
Andrew quickly agreed though, after discovering that he and Graeme were on exactly the same page with their values and goals.
And what were they looking to offer: ‘It was about the people. The company was about being able to provide an environment for people to flourish.’
It’s telling that Leed has a number staff who have been with the company almost from the start.
The Leed name
The name Leed came from Graeme’s wife who saw a connection between Andrew and Graeme’s former companies – Stockport and York respectively – and the geography of the United Kingdom.
They were at the accountant to set up the new company and Graeme said Amanda suggests ‘Andrew’s from Stockport and you’re out of York, halfway between is Leeds, why don’t you call yourselves Leeds Civil. I said: ‘how about Leed Civil’. The accountant ‘typed it in’ to see if the name was available. It was. That was in 2001. Leed Civil later took on the broader moniker Leed Engineering and Construction.
The early days of Leed
A third partner – Mark Jones – and General Superintendent Leigh Sutherland joined the fledgling company. Both quickly accepted the offer to join this new but, as yet, unproven engineering and construction company.
‘When Leigh was given the details, he didn’t hesitate, he was in. It was an odd chain of events back then with people saying “yes, we’re in,” Andrew recalls. Notably, 25 years later, Leigh Sutherland is still overseeing projects around Australia as Leed’s General Superintendent.
It was all hands on deck for that first Leed team in their tiny office.
‘In the early days, with the three of us (directors), none of us had titles—we all did everything,’ Andrew says. This meant literally everything—from working out how to pay people to accounts, answering the phone and cleaning the toilets.
Andrew gives a big shoutout to Tony Mussolino who backed Leed in the early days, helping them to bid for early projects and move into what’s still their head office site in Kent Town, Adelaide, which Tony owns.
Leed’s first construction project
The first job under the Leed name was the Hallett substation for the former Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA).
Andrew says they were honest and open with the client about the fact that they were just starting out but got the job on the strength of their individual reputations in the industry.
‘There were a number of examples in the early days where people trusted us. We had no financial backing so they had to trust that we knew what we were doing.
Other early projects included the upgrade of the school ovals for the St Francis de Sales School in Mount Barker, St Peter’s Billabong, overpasses on the Stuart and Victoria Highways, and various defence projects in the Northern Territory.
Leed’s first big test
‘The big project that tested our mettle and where we really started to employ people was the Glenelg to Bolivar High Salinity Project’, where Leed was entrusted to construct 2 of the 3 stages of the pipeline.
Despite this SA Water project being larger than what they had completed previously, the Leed team was entrusted with it. This spoke to the power of their networks and connections within the industry.
‘Companies don’t just happen – it takes relationships,’ Andrew says. Leed has always been a company where we do what we say we’ll do – we’ve never walked away from a job’
Company expansion
Leed eventually expanded into Victoria and New South Wales. The company was able to purchase its Bendigo office and plant facility – a former earthworks business – in 2007.
This enabled the company to expand and start to fully realise its goal of self-performing the majority of its projects. Over the years, Leed has accumulated an extensive collection of state-of-the-art plant and equipment.
Other eastern states offices were opened including Melbourne in 2009. The current Melbourne office is now a hub for Leed’s estimating team. An office was opened in Cooma in the Snowy Mountains in 2020, initially supporting Leed’s work with Snowy Hydro. Leed now has a significant presence in the region, working on Snowy 2.0 scheme after contributing to the original Snowy scheme.
In addition to the office expansions, structural concrete remediation and maintenance specialists Ecospec have joined the Leed Group. A strong partnership has also been formed with majority Aboriginal-owned civil construction company Birubi Australia.
A sad farewell and a new chapter
Graeme Lawler had taken over the running of Leed in 2020 but sadly passed away in May of that year. After just 6 weeks of retirement, Andrew returned to the helm while a plan for the company’s future was worked through.
This period of change and upheaval coincided with the global COVID-19 pandemic, adding to the challenges of this turbulent time.
Andrew’s long-term friend and construction industry colleague Craig Laslett ultimately took the reins as Leed’s Managing Director. Andrew and Craig had first met at the South Australian Institute of Technology, now known as Adelaide University, where they both studied Civil Engineering.
A full circle moment
The acquisition this year of Leed by JN Bentley, part of the Mott MacDonald Group, saw the Leed name come full circle.
‘It’s ironic, as one of the main offices for JN Bentley is in Leeds!’ Andrew says. ‘It was meant to be.’
He says there are many other similarities between the two companies. These include JN Bentley’s long history and the fact that the company is water-focused, self-performing and was a similar size to Leed at the time of acquisition. Importantly, joining Mott MacDonald means valuable design expertise is in-house for both companies.
‘I’m trusting that this is setting us up for the next chapter of the journey,’ Andrew says.
Read more about Leed’s projects and careers at Leed