Blueprint for beauty – How Glenvill Group has changed the face of Australian housing

Leading with empathy and creativity, Len Warson has transformed Glenvill Group into one of Australia’s most successful development and homebuilding enterprises, applying design excellence and a culture of caring at every stage of the journey. 

Len Warson stands tall at the helm of the Glenvill Group. His architectural flair and creativity have solidified his position as one of Australia’s leading home builders, having built over 10,000 projects to date. 

With six decades of innovation behind it, Glenvill Group has become one of the most awarded property businesses in Australia. Glenvill today is recognised for building premium homes, beautiful and bold in design, all around Australia.  

The business was founded in 1958 by Len’s father, Michael, with Len joining the family business in 1984. Len overhauled the business, revitalised the company’s brand, and introduced creative flair and design excellence. Len has carried the family business a long way, recently celebrating the company’s 60th anniversary.  

“I started as an insolvency accountant before going into Glenvill, and over time, I did a complete restructure and rebrand of Glenvill. The ‘design and construct’ industry with an inner suburban focus and display didn’t really exist at the time with large volume or repetition,” Warson says. 

Having survived several challenges, including the property downturn of the early 1990s, Glenvill is known for its focus on design and craftsmanship. Warson leads with an emphasis on empathy, and his work in philanthropy is an extension of that. 

But first, to Warson’s innovation. After taking over the company and with his background in finance, Warson turned Glenvill around and established a new standard in Australia’s construction industry. Warson’s ethos of ‘never ordinary’ has seen him challenge the status quo in housing construction by bringing together housing design and construction. 

“I am an artistic and creative person, and what resonated with me when I took the helm was the importance of good design. After the rebrand, I took more of an artistic view, and turned Glenvill into something more creative and introduced an artistic view into housing construction,” he says. 

Warson pioneered the integration of custom home design and construction, which was a first for the Australian housing industry. “Before that, you either went to an architect or a builder, and you got one of these, but not both. I employed our own internal architects and designers, and we introduced a one-stop shop for home builders, with interior designers too,” he says. 

He was the first homebuilder in Melbourne to open a physical inner suburban display home. Under his leadership, Glenvill has grown to encompass three specialised, market-leading businesses, Glenvill Homes, Glenvill Developments and Glenvill Projects, operating across Australia. At present, the group has various developments on the go, from the famous YarraBend project in Melbourne to the super upmarket apartment project, No 21 in Broadbeach Blvd, on the Gold Coast. 

“What separates Glenvill from other housing construction companies is our design and our ‘never ordinary’ ethos. Our housing designs are never ordinary, irrespective of location. they are high quality, and Glenvill stands out because of that.  

“The business is now an extension of my personality. I’m essentially a creative person, and I value the importance of creativity, education and managing with empathy. With that comes an attitude of being more emotional and caring.” 

Warson’s empathetic approach has been embraced by all Glenvill staff and helped to propel the business’s success.  

“We’ve never cared about people because it is good for business, but because we actually care. We’re respected in the industry for our human side because we listen.”

Len Warson

“We’re respected in the industry for our human side because we listen and respond. We haven’t faced a building dispute in around 20 years, and we build 1,500 homes a year. We don’t have litigations because we listen to people and respond,” he says.  

Taking a hands-on and collaborative approach, Warson is a self-taught. He is the CEO & Creative Director for the group’s YarraBend development. located on the banks of the Yarra River and home to heritage residences, townhouses, apartments, houses and riverfront homes, located 6.5 km from Melbourne’s CBD. Warson has been responsible for putting into action YarraBend’s six pillars – sustainability, technology, art & design, health & wellness, knowledge and food & entertainment – and getting the project approved by local government.  

“Even as a developer, when we deal with councils and the community, we really listen,” For our $2 billion YarraBend project, we initially had 1,800 objectors. After we spoke to those objectors, listened to their concerns and acted on them, we had no objections,” Warson says. 

“We got unanimous support from the council, and we got everybody across the line because we listened to them. It is really important to not bully a decision through council but to get everybody’s buy-in.”  

Having forged a career creating homes, Warson’s focus in more recent times has been on philanthropy.   

In 2021, Len accepted the position of Chair of the Lighthouse Foundation. The foundation provides homes and therapeutic care to children and young people impacted by long-term neglect, abuse and homelessness. By creating a caring community, the organisation gives homeless kids and foster families a place to belong, heal and thrive. 

In the arts, Len and his wife, Elana, are prominent patrons and avid collectors.  

As Foundation Members of the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria), the couple support key exhibitions and have facilitated the acquisition of numerous art pieces.  

As an avid art collector, Warson supports emerging artists through his mentorship. Warson’s extensive philanthropy highlights his desire to contribute to society, reflecting a holistic vision that spans business, design, and community welfare.  

“We support the causes that we care about, and my wife and I care about these particular causes: homelessness, the NGV and funding artistic community assets. We have made money out of housing people. So it makes complete sense to assist people in homelessness.”  

Guided by the philosophy ‘Never Ordinary’, Len’s focus on innovation and challenging the status quo has seen his business and philanthropic ventures go from strength to strength, building an admirable legacy of which his family and staff are proud.   

Learn more at glenvill.com.au