Andrew Roberts Buys Back 50pc Stake from Impresa Pizzarotti

Roberts Co Group has acquired the remaining 50 per cent share of Roberts Pizzarotti from the Impresa Pizzarotti Group to become wholly Australian owned.

After just four years in the construction industry the privately-owned business has gone from strength to strength with big ticket projects including Zurich Tower, the North Shore Health Hub and the $341 million Concord Hospital redevelopment currently under way.

Roberts Co chief executive Alison Mirams said it was “business as usual” for the boutique tier one construction firm.

“We feel lucky to now be fully Australian owned ... we had a company that had two shareholders and we now have one shareholder, it’s business as usual,” Mirams said.

“We have $650 million in projects, 140 people on staff and our turnover will be $400 million. We’ve grown rapidly but in a really careful way.”

“If you look at how many overseas contractors have come over here and struggled. Pizzarotti was guided by Andrew Roberts and the executive team, and our processes and procedures.

“There were no Italian nationals in the team, there’s no personnel changes, and the financial position of the company remains the same.

Mirams said the company has been heavily focused on improving the industry.

“The better you make the industry, the better it is for everyone,” she said.

“We have looked at the construction industry and how we can improve it … particularly with regards to mental health and wellbeing.

“Our Concord Hospital redevelopment project has been part of a five-day work week study. I’m hoping when we have (the results of an interim report) that I am going to have hard data and we can start to make changes.”

The UNSW two-year study is looking at whether a five-day work week, instead of the six-day industry standard, is beneficial to the mental health and wellbeing of construction workers.

Mirams said Covid had heavily impacted the industry, but like many other sectors they had innovated and adapted to roll out sanitisation on site and allow for social distancing.

“Covid has proved that we can work flexibly and be onsite. I’m hoping it becomes the new normal.”