Published 15 Sep 2026
S5. Ep 16. Talking with Simon Betteridge about Leadership, Productivity and Growing a Construction Business for the Long Term
What does it take to grow a construction business for more than two decades, build a team you can trust, and then lead it from another country?
In this episode of The Building Talks Podcast, I sit down with Simon Betteridge, CEO of GVG Group, who has spent more than 20 years helping grow the business into one of South East Queensland's leading builder-developers. We get into the Queensland construction market, leadership, productivity, building strong teams and what sustainable business growth actually looks like over the long term.
We also explore a pretty unique part of Simon's leadership role. While heading up the Brisbane business, he now lives back home in New Zealand, travelling to Brisbane every couple of weeks. Simon shares how trust, good people and the right culture make that possible, and why building a capable team means a business does not need its leader sitting in the same office every day.
Takeaways:
- ✅Lessons from more than two decades of business growth
- ✅Simon's perspective on the South East Queensland construction market
- ✅Why productivity remains such an important industry challenge
- ✅Building teams around trust, capability and accountability
- ✅What long-term leadership looks like as a business grows
- ✅How Simon leads a Brisbane business while living in New Zealand
- ✅Why having the right people creates freedom at the top
Chapters:
- 02:48 - Growing Up Around Construction and Becoming a Quantity Surveyor
- 06:43 - Leaving the Office for Carpentry and Running a Small Business
- 07:48 - Trade or Degree, Building the Right Career Foundation
- 12:34 - Taking Ownership of Your Career and Becoming a High Performer
- 18:38 - Moving to Brisbane and Joining Gardner Vaughan Group
- 20:47 - How GVG Evolved from Commercial Construction into Development
- 24:08 - How Brisbane's Apartment Market Has Changed
- 28:51 - Why GVG Became a Builder Developer
- 33:19 - Project Continuity and Why GVG Is a People Business
- 35:42 - The South East Queensland Market, Olympics and Project Viability
- 41:38 - Scaling from 30 to 100 Staff Without Losing the Culture
- 51:55 - Building Long-Term Relationships with Subcontractors
- 59:13 - Scaling Systems, Governance and Digital Transformation
- 1:04:15 - Remote Leadership, Trust, Productivity and the Future of South East Queensland
Tune in for a grounded conversation about leadership, trust, productivity and what it really takes to grow a construction business that can perform for the long haul.
Hope you enjoy the podcast!
#ConstructionLeadership #GVGGroup #QueenslandConstruction #BusinessGrowth #ConstructionProductivity #BuildingGreatTeams #Leadership #BuilderDeveloper #SouthEastQueensland #ConstructionCulture #BuiltEnvironment #AustralianConstruction #BuildingTalksPodcast
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www.housingallaustralians.org.au
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The views and information shared in this podcast are for general purposes only and do not constitute legal or professional advice. Neither the host nor guests are providing specific guidance. Please seek professional advice before taking any action based on the content of this podcast.
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Talking to professionals in construction, property development, architecture, and beyond.
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