Is modesty the new mode at Macquarie? It’s certainly the word that comes to mind when gazing upon the boardroom of Macquarie’s new global headquarters in Sydney.

Not one piece of art hangs on the walls. They are instead lined in brushed aluminium, making a feature of the building material, and conjuring up the sense that this new tower at 1 Elizabeth Street is the self-fulfilment of a company that has made infrastructure management a lucrative leitmotiv.