EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
was 30 years old. He credits the
“monster renovation” side gigs as
providing him with a good insight into
boutique custom building — things like
attention to detail and architectural
response — which today, at Canny
Group, is an area where he focuses
his energy.From 2000 to 2010, Greg tried his hand
at developing, building everything from
new ten-storey apartment blocks to
fitting out heritage buildings. He also
worked as a contractor for various
architects, building homes in
Melbourne’s prestigious suburbs.That vast experience across commercial
and residential builds placed Greg in
good stead for his role at Canny Group,
which was traditionally a design and
construction business when he joined
in 2010. Upon starting his role there, he
immediately identified opportunities
for the group. “Because of my history,
where I have always tried to have
multiple revenue streams, I could see
what potential there was in this
business,” he says.Over the past five years, the Canny
Group has translated the skills and
experience of its entire team into abroader range of offerings in the design
and construction industry. Off the back
of a strong brand — renowned for
creating iconic award-winning homes
that focus on quality — Canny Group
has successfully diversified its business
into multiple divisions, including
Integrated Pools; award-winning
architecture studio Canny Architecture;
Canny Projects, responsible for
residential and commercial
development; and Lubelso by Canny,
a division which offers luxury
predesigned architectural homes
with a focus on premium quality
fixtures and fittings.“At Canny, our strength is the fact that
quality is in our DNA,” says Greg,
explaining that they are sought out by
customers because of this. “We just
won’t accept second best. If something
is wrong, we will rip it out and fix it.”Lubelso by Canny launched in the first
year that Greg was at the company.
After about a year he was appointed as
General Manager and then Group CEO
in February this year. Bringing his
commercial nature with him to the role,
Greg says he has aided in transforming
Canny Group from a purely domestic
construction company. He explains hishand in securing a commercial contract
for the final eighty-eight dwellings in a
project in Kew, in what was initially a
$21 million contract — the biggest ever
secured at the time by Canny Group
— that ended up reaching about $74
million. “That was when we really hit
our straps,” he says. “Today Canny
Projects — where we build townhouses
and multiple dwellings on a site — is
our engine room; that is where we are
getting most of our revenue. We are
targeting for $113 million for the 2017
financial year.”As Group CEO, Greg controls the
delivery of the business plan and has
established a strong senior
management team. According to
Canny, he has been directly responsible
for elevating the Group turnover year
on year, placing the business in a good
financial position for the future.Not one to rest on his laurels, Greg
insists there is always room for
improvement. “I believe it is so
important to not only continue to do
what you’re doing, but to actually
improve on it,” he says. “Even though
people are knocking on our door, you
are only as good as your last job in this
industry, so you have to keep working
as hard as you can.”The growth for Canny Group is in
“predesigned homes, cementing our
place in projects and our own
developments,” says Greg. The Lubelso
by Canny predesigned homes offer new
homebuyers high-end, luxury homes
that are architecturally designed by
Canny Group’s award-winning“Quality is in our DNA. We just
won’t accept second best. If
something is wrong, we will rip
it out and fix it.” - Greg Davy