The race for office space in Brisbane’s CBD

Corporate heavyweights and professional services firms are scouting around Brisbane for news office digs. Check out who’s potentially on the move.

Some of Australia’s biggest companies are mulling over a change of scenery with thousands of square metres of office requirements in the market

We hear the ANZ has a 3000sq to 4000sq m requirement and accountants Ernst Young is looking for about 6000sq m.

They are both currently in GPT Group’s 54-storey premium tower at 111 Eagle St.

Sources say PwC Australia and possibly Macquarie Bank are also preparing to come to market with a requirement.

Further along Australia’s biggest company BHP is mulling over where it will establish its Queensland head office.

The company is the anchor tenant at the Dexus-owned office tower at 480 Queen St but their 16,000sq m 20,000sq m requirement has been in the market for almost a year and they will be making a decision soon.

Citybeat hears that the BHP shortlist consists of Mirvac’s old dental school at 200 Turbot St and Charter Hall/Investa’s tower at 360 Queen St where they have started construction. Charter Hall/Quad Real’s site at 309 North Quay is also in the mix but industry sources say it may have fallen off the radar.

We also understand BHP may also stay put and we hear Dexus will be doing they can to keep them in their premium digs.

Brisbane City Council’s 30,000sq m to 35,000sq m requirement is also getting to the sharp end for it 3000 staff and we hear that ISPT’s long held Regent Cinema site on Queens St is the frontrunner although you can’t discount the usual suspects – 309 North Quay and 200 Turbot.

However, with Council’s finances always under scrutiny they may elect to stay at Brisbane Square on George St and Green Square in Fortitude Valley. Their leases are expected to expire in 2026 and 2027.

BOARD APPOINTMENT

One of Queensland’s most successful young entrepreneur Vu Tran, the co-founder of $2bn corporate tech unicorn Go1, has joined the board of Australasia’s largest ASX-listed workforce management and staffing company PeopleIN.

Tran – a practising GP for the past 10 years – founded online learning company Go1 in 2015 with three high school friends, Andrew Barnes, Chris Eigeland, Chris Hood.

With about 5 million users worldwide, Go1 is a single online learning solution for organisations and individuals using the world’s most comprehensive online library of learning resources developed by leading learning providers.

Tran says he’s keen to delve into the transformational role that the company plays in people’s lives and bring complementary skills to his role as a non-executive board member of the Albion-based PeopleIN.

“I look forward to bringing my experience in technology, healthcare, community care, and growing business at scale to the PeopleIN Group,” he says.

Vu Van at Go1’s Underwood office.

A father of two and the son of Vietnamese refugees, Tran also sits on the board of Sporting Wheelies.

Founded in 1996, PeopleIN has recorded an earnings per share compound annual growth rate of 27 per cent over the last five years.

Across 26 specialised brands, PeopleIN focuses on providing staffing services to those parts of the Australian economy that have significant and growing demand for employees including health and community care, technology, accounting, childcare, food and mining, among others.