QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

A pillar of best-practice leadership

As Thiess CEO, Martin also fostered a renewed sense of corporate responsibility in the company. He revitalised, rejuvenated and transformed the company, taking it forward as one of the largest and most efficient and effective construction and infrastructure companies in Australia. And it was during his tenure that Thiess endowed a Chair in the Faculty of Engineering in the University of Queensland. Martin also served on the Queensland Health and Safety Council and as a member of the federal government’s Construction Industry Reform Council. Mining remained a major area of Thiess activity, and in the 1990s under the leadership of Martin Albrecht it set new benchmarks in the definition of productivity and in best practice on mine sites. The development of the Burton Mine on a greenfield site in central Queensland was an example of the ‘whole-of-mine’ approach which Thiess pioneered. He also led Thiess among the first investors in the formation of Queensland Gas Company, a pioneer in the development of the Coal Seam Gas (CSG) industry in Queensland (since acquired by the BG Group in a multi-billion dollar takeover). Upon his retirement from Thiess in 2000 he became its non-executive Chairman until 2008, by which time the company had 17,000 employees and an annual turnover exceeding $5 billion. He was also appointed a director of Leighton Holdings in 2001. From 2002 to 2010 he served as founda tion Chairman of Geodynamics Ltd, a geothermal energy development company focusing on the extraction of heat from hot rocks for electricity generation. Martin is also Chairman of Exergen, a privately-owned clean coal technology company. Martin Albrecht has been widely acknowledged as an outstanding leader in the construction and engineering industries. His achievements have been recognised by his induction in 2006 into the Hall of Fame of Engineers Australia, his receipt in 2008 of the AICD Gold Medal and the Queensland Premier’s Award for Leadership in Business Sustainability. He has been appointed to the Board of Governors of CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia). His commitment to environmental sustainability is demonstrated by his founding and chairing of the International River Foundation, which has instituted a prestigious international prize for river restoration. After the disastrous floods and fires in 2011 in Queensland and Victoria, he was appointed by the Commonwealth Government as one of the four members of the National Reconstruction Inspectorate. He has also served on the Commonwealth Government’s Industry Reform Council and on the Queensland Premier’s Business Round Table.

In 2002 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for service to the construction industry, to the engineering profession and to the community. The citation also noted his contributions to education, corporate social responsibility and industrial safety. In the same year he was the recipient from the German government of the Bundesverdienstkreuz Erste Klasse . (Martin’s father had received the same distinction in 1972.) In 2003 he became a recipient of the Centenary Medal. Martin Albrecht has always demonstrated an active interest in government, community and cultural activities. He is currently very active in the establishment of a National Construction Museum, a project close to fruition. He is passionate about training and education in the construction indus try, and was a foundation director of the Australian Constructors Association. He is a patron of the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra and of the Lifestream Foundation which serves people with intellectual disabilities. He is a former director of the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Martin maintains his strong Christian commitment and his association with the Lutheran Church, and was for many years a member of the Council of St Peters Lutheran College, Indooroopilly, and Chair of its Foundation. His contribution to business, management and engineering has been recognised by his peers. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australian Institute of Management and TSE. His academic honours include honorary doctorates from the Queensland University of Technology, the University of South Australia, the University of Queensland and Griffith University.

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