Kapitol Conversations

In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, Andrew Deveson is joined by State Manager – Queensland James Grljusich, Business Development Manager Jacqui Banks, and Head of Modular and Business Development Andrew Morrison to unpack Kapitol’s Queensland launch and what it takes to enter a market with enormous opportunity and significant delivery challenges.

James shares how his international experience and established Queensland relationships have shaped his approach to building the new business, with the right people and local knowledge coming before projects. He reflects on the excitement and uncertainty of starting something new, and why sustainable growth means balancing ambition with the ability to deliver—not chasing headcount or project targets.

Jacqui brings a perspective shaped by architecture, urban design and planning, explaining why getting closer to construction means an opportunity to influence projects earlier. She discusses how listening carefully, understanding what clients are trying to achieve and bringing the right expertise into the conversation can help turn early decisions into better delivery outcomes.

Andrew Morrison explores the pressures facing clients who are struggling to find available builders, and why Queensland’s construction demand extends well beyond the Olympics. He explains how early contractor involvement can create greater certainty around cost and timing, with modular construction offering one part of the solution rather than the answer to every project.

The conversation also digs into the harder truths: competing for the same limited pool of trades can drive prices up without increasing capacity, making off-site construction and national supply chains increasingly important. Deveson explains why Kapitol waited until its systems were ready to support expansion, while the panel makes clear that success in Victoria does not automatically translate to Queensland—local trust must be earned, and the approach must fit the market.

Throughout the episode, the discussion considers:

• Why Queensland, and why now?
• What does a people-led expansion look like in practice?
• How do you balance growth with the ability to deliver?
• Why can’t a reputation simply be carried into a new market?
• How can the industry add capacity without competing for the same trades?
• What role can modular construction and national supply chains play?
• Why should builders be involved before a project reaches tender?
• What can listening more closely to clients reveal?
• How do you build a business that lasts beyond the current pipeline and the Olympics?

This is a candid conversation about growth, local knowledge and the responsibility that comes with entering a new market. The central question is not simply how to win work in Queensland, but how to help more of it get built.

Subscribe and Follow: Follow Kapitol on LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our website.

In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, Andrew Deveson is joined by Project Manager Andrew Monagle, Assistant Project Manager Jack Cunnington, and Talent Acquisition Manager Lisa Grantham to unpack how careers are really built in construction.

Andrew Monagle shares his path from an undergrad role at ProBuild to leading a $700 million data centre project before turning 30, and why leaving a large, established business for a smaller, faster-growing one felt like a leap of faith at the time. Jack reflects on going from cadet to effectively running a project with 170 workers on site inside four and a half years, and why the support network around him — not years of experience — made that possible.

Lisa brings the recruitment perspective, explaining why candidates consistently reach the same crossroads at the four-to-five year mark: the blockage, the wait for someone above them to move, and the question of how quickly they can genuinely grow.

The conversation also digs into the harder truths — that the skills that made you an excellent senior project coordinator won't make you a good assistant project manager, that titles matter far less than people think in the moment, and that chasing a title too early can derail a career rather than accelerate it.

Deveson and Monagle discuss why a culture of sharing lessons learned and admitting "I don't know" is what lets people make decisions without fear, and why a bad decision often beats no decision at all.

Throughout the episode, the discussion considers:

• Why do so many people reach a career crossroads at four or five years?
• What actually accelerates growth — opportunity, support, or experience?
• Why can chasing the next title work against you?
• What does sustainable career progression look like?
• How do you lead people who are older and more experienced than you?
• Why is attitude more important than technical skill when hiring?
• What role does a lessons-learned culture play in giving people confidence to decide?
• Why does the industry promote the project manager pathway above all others?
• How should people take ownership of their own development?

This is a candid conversation about ambition, impatience, mentorship and the difference between moving fast and building something that lasts. The message is clear: the better question isn't "how quickly can I get promoted?" — it's "am I better this year than I was last year?"

Subscribe and Follow: Follow Kapitol on LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our website.

What does it take to build the infrastructure behind AI when demand is accelerating, projects are growing and traditional construction methods are being pushed to their limits?

In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, Andrew Deveson and Kapitol co-founder and Director David Caputo are joined by NEXTDC Chief Development Officer Simon Cooper to discuss the future of data centres and what the construction industry must do differently to meet the scale of demand ahead.

Simon reflects on NEXTDC’s growth from a small team with its first two-megawatt facility to one of Australia’s leading data centre operators. He explores how AI is increasing pressure to deliver capacity faster, while maintaining safety, quality and reliability.

The conversation covers the shift from air-cooled to liquid-cooled data centres, the role of modular construction and off-site manufacturing, and why these approaches must be considered from the beginning of the design process.

Simon, Andrew and Dave also examine construction’s productivity challenge. They discuss how incomplete design, rework, poor coordination and limited workforce planning contribute to waste, and why simply adding more people rarely makes a project faster.

Throughout the episode, the discussion considers:

• How is AI changing the scale and speed of data centre development?
• Why is liquid cooling becoming critical?
• When do modular construction and off-site manufacturing create value?
• Why can larger workforces lead to lower productivity?
• How can better planning and measurement reduce rework and waste?
• What role could AI play in construction programming?
• How can clients, builders and subcontractors better align around productivity?
• What responsibilities come with data centres becoming more visible and important to Australia’s future?

This episode is a candid discussion about the infrastructure required to support the AI era and the changes needed to deliver it. The message is clear: meeting future demand will require the industry to plan earlier, measure more effectively and rethink how projects are designed and built.

Subscribe and Follow: Follow Kapitol on LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit Kapitol’s website.

What does leadership look like when the pressure is real, the feedback is immediate, and the strength of the team matters more than any one person?

In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, Andrew Deveson is joined by Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli, Bulldogs AFLW player and Kapitol cadet Isabelle Pritchard, and Kapitol co-founder and Director David Caputo for a candid conversation on leadership, trust, resilience and what it takes to build high-performing teams.

The conversation moves between elite sport and construction, exploring what both environments ask of their people: clear standards, honest feedback, strong relationships and the ability to keep showing up when conditions get hard.

Marcus reflects on becoming a leader early in his AFL career, the responsibility that comes with captaincy, and why influence has to extend beyond performance on the field. He speaks about the Bulldogs as a “feedback factory”, where planning, execution and review are part of the weekly rhythm, and why leaders need to invest in relationships long before difficult conversations are needed.

Isabelle shares what she has learned from balancing an elite AFLW career with the start of her professional career in construction. From asking for help, to staying curious, to building confidence in high-pressure environments, she reflects on how vulnerability and consistency can become strengths, especially when a team is rebuilding or when the path forward is not always clear.

Dave brings the construction perspective, reflecting on the leadership decisions that shaped Kapitol through COVID, rapid growth and major industry disruption. He discusses curiosity, pride in the work, discipline over motivation, and why hard moments often reveal who a business really is.

Throughout the episode, the discussion covers key questions for leaders in sport, construction and any team environment:

What does it take to lead before you feel fully ready?

How do you balance trust, care and accountability in a high-performance team?

Why do difficult conversations only work when the relationship has already been built?

What can construction learn from the speed and honesty of feedback in elite sport?

How do young leaders build influence without pretending to have all the answers?

Why do teams often learn more in difficult periods than when everything is going well?

What did COVID teach Kapitol about backing people, building systems and thinking long term?

How do curiosity, pride and discipline shape better leaders over time?

And why does “showing up” remain one of the simplest and most important tests of resilience?

This episode is a grounded conversation about leadership under pressure, and the habits that help teams hold together when the work gets hard. From the footy field to the construction site, the message is clear: strong teams are built before the moment they are tested.

Subscribe and Follow: Follow Kapitol on LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our website at ⁠⁠www.kapitol.com.

Is Australia finally ready for volumetric modular construction, and what will it take to move from pilot projects to a real, scaled industry?

In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, Andrew Deveson is joined by ICD Property CEO Matthew Khoo, Kapitol Head of Modular Andrew Morrison, and AsheMorgan Development Director Mat Stoddart for an in-depth discussion on volumetric modular construction — what the world has learned from Singapore and the UK, where modular actually stacks up in Australia, and why the next five years could finally be different.

The conversation explores why modular has repeatedly almost-taken-off in Australia without ever quite breaking through, and what's shifting now across capacity, capital and policy. The group reflects on how developers, builders, manufacturers and financiers can work together to align design, planning, finance and delivery so that modular becomes a repeatable commercial product rather than a one-off experiment.

Throughout the episode, the discussion covers key questions facing the industry right now:

• What can Australia learn from Singapore's PPVC mandate, and from the UK builders that collapsed?
• Where does volumetric modular actually win commercially — Build-to-Rent, student accommodation, hotels, or somewhere else?
• Why does Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) demand a different way of designing, not just a different way of building?
• How are the NCC, ADG and BADS planning frameworks helping or holding modular back?
• Why does project finance struggle with modular, and what role do bank guarantees and Letters of Credit really play?
• How much local manufacturing capacity does Australia have today, and what does the Built–Wesfarmers "Built Living" JV signal about the next phase?
• What's the role of offshore supply from players like CIMC, and how should risk and quality be managed across that distance?
• And what needs to happen — in pipeline, product and patient capital — for modular to finally scale here?

This episode is a practical and honest conversation about manufacturing, finance, planning and risk — and why getting volumetric modular right is one of the biggest opportunities Australia has to deliver more homes, hotels and student accommodation, faster and better.

Subscribe and Follow: Follow Kapitol on LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our website at ⁠www.kapitol.com

What does quality really mean in construction today, and why does it matter more than ever?

In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, Andrew Deveson is joined by Kapitol Head of Quality Josh Sinnett, Visibuild founder Damien Quinn, and PCF Managing Director Steve Sarris for a candid discussion on quality in construction — where the industry has traditionally fallen short, what poor quality really costs, and how the mindset around it is beginning to shift.

The conversation explores how quality has too often been treated as a paperwork exercise rather than a meaningful part of delivery, and why that approach creates waste, rework and avoidable risk across projects. The group reflects on how builders, trade partners and suppliers can work together to embed better systems, stronger accountability and a culture that values workmanship, not just compliance.

Throughout the episode, the discussion covers key questions facing the industry right now:

• What is the real cost of poor quality and rework?
• Why has quality historically been treated as an afterthought?
• How can trade partners become more accountable and engaged?
• What role do leadership and culture play in improving outcomes?
• How can technology help shift quality from retrospective paperwork to real-time project insight?
• Where do training, education and lessons learnt fit into long-term industry change?
• And how can better quality improve not just project performance, but people’s lives?

This episode is a practical and honest conversation about waste, culture, technology and responsibility — and why lifting quality is one of the biggest opportunities the construction industry has to improve performance and build better buildings for the future.

Subscribe and Follow:Follow Kapitol on LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our website at www.kapitol.com

In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, we discuss early careers in construction — what it’s really like starting out, how capability is built on live projects, and the support that helps young professionals grow.

The conversation explores Kapitol’s approach to early career development, including the thinking behind Elevate, the value of hands-on experience, and why creating the right structure, support and opportunities matters for graduates and cadets entering the industry.