"There's big demand for the empty nester": Five minutes with Abadeen's Justin Brown
2023 was a busy year for luxury Sydney North Shore developer Abadeen Group.
They announced they were expanding into Melbourne with the establishment of Abadeen Victoria, led by former CBRE executive Andrew Leoncelli.
They're keeping with the model that has served them so well in Sydney. Their first project, Malea in Malvern East, suits the high end downsizer in an area which underserves this market. There are just seven apartments on offer at Malea, the only new development on Malvern East's Central Park.
With everything going on at Abadeen, we caught up with Abadeen's Founder and Managing Director Justin Brown to talk more about Abadeen's approach to development.
Brown's experience in project marketing armed him with the knowhow to create his own development firm, Abadeen, which he founded in 1999.
He was one of the original founders of both Colliers and CBRE's project marketing divisions, the latter of which he is chairman.
On having the experience in the project marketing space, Brown says it's been their history of advising developers on where they sees the product, where they sees the product, what the purchasers want, and what is the best design.
"We identify where we believe where the market is, and at the moment we believe there is a big demand for the empty nester product, and that needs to be delivered well," Brown says.
Abadeen currently has 10 projects currently under construction, the majority of which are boutique projects on the lower North Shore.
Later this year they'll be hoping to launch their Putney project Pier 20, where they are a joint venture partner with Fabrizio Perilli's PERIFA.
Mike Bird
Mike Bird is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Apartments.com.au, Australia’s leading marketplace for off the plan property. With a background in digital media, technology, and platform growth, Mike brings a strategic, customer-first mindset to the business, driving Apartment.com.au’s mission to simplify the new property buying journey and bring transparency to the process.
Since establishing what was Urban.com.au back in 2019, Mike has overseen significant product innovation and expansion of Urban’s data and editorial capabilities—solidifying the platform as a trusted destination for buyers, developers, and agents alike. Under his leadership, Urban has scaled its developer partnerships, improved buyer engagement through enhanced UX and personalisation, and strengthened its position as the go-to source for off the plan insights across Australia’s capital cities.
As CEO, Mike continues to lead Apartments.com.au with a focus on innovation, data-driven decisions, and a commitment to helping Australians make confident, informed property choices.
