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Melbourne Developer Neil Yi Wins Real Estate Person of The Year, Sterling Global Sweeps Major Cateorgies

Sterling Global

Key Facts:

• Melbourne developer Neil Li, founder of Sterling Global, won Australian Real Estate Personality of the Year at the 9th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Australia) in Sydney.
• Sterling Global also won Best Apartment Architectural Design, Best Luxury Developer (Victoria), and Best Luxury Developer (National), sweeping the major award categories.
• The awards recognise Sterling Global's 15-year history of landmark developments and Li's philosophy of balancing architectural ambition with enduring value.
• Sterling Global's flagship project, 623 Collins, State Bank House, is a $650 million, 42-storey redevelopment of the heritage-listed former State Savings Bank of Victoria site, featuring four residential collections and a full level of resident amenities.
• Designed by Plus Studio with interiors by Fiona Lynch, 623 Collins is scheduled to break ground in Q4 2026 and is expected to be completed by Q4 2029, with Hacer Group appointed as builder.

Melbourne developer sweeps PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards with four awards

Melbourne property developer Neil Li, founder of Sterling Global, has been named Australian Real Estate Personality of the Year at the 9th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Australia) held last night in Sydney, Australia.

Sterling Global also swept the major award categories, winning:

• Best Apartment Architectural Design - 623 Collins, State Bank House

• Best Luxury Developer (Victoria); and

• Best Luxury Developer (National) 

The award wins, including Real Estate Personality of the Year, recognise both Sterling Global and Li's leadership across a 15-year journey of landmark developments, and his role in shaping the development philosophy that underpins the business today.

"When I founded Sterling Global, the ambition was never simply to develop buildings," Li said. "It was to create places with meaning, places that balance architectural ambition with enduring value."

"If there's one thing I'm most proud of about what Sterling Global stands for, it's this: we build what we draw," Li said. "Every project starts as a render, a dream on a screen, and there is nothing more rewarding than watching that dream become a building you can walk into. When you look at our delivered projects like Ralston and Heyington, seeing that mirror image come to life is something I genuinely never grow tired of. When I think about what our city will look like in another 15, 30 or 50 years, I feel genuinely privileged to be part of shaping that."

Li said the recognition belonged as much to his team as to him.

"Property development is never the work of one person," he said. "I am especially grateful to the Sterling Global team, whose dedication and hard work have been at the heart of everything we have achieved. I see this recognition as much theirs as it is mine."

Reflecting on the honour, Li said it was also a chance to look back on almost 15 years of Sterling Global's growth.

"What means the most is seeing our commitment to creating places of lasting quality recognised by the industry," Li said. "It gives us even greater confidence in the direction we are taking and what we can continue to contribute in the years ahead."

Awarded Best Apartment Luxury Design, Li is particularly proud to be commencing 623 Collins, State Bank House, Sterling Global's largest undertaking to date.

The 42-storey development will reimagine the heritage-listed former State Savings Bank of Victoria site, opposite Southern Cross Station, in a $650 million redevelopment. 

Residences span four collections: Heirloom, celebrating the architectural soul of the original bank building; Signature, offering understated elegance across studio, one and two-bedroom homes; Reserve, with expansive two- and three-bedroom layouts and elevated views; and the Penthouse Collection, one penthouse and six sub-penthouses topping the tower with bold three-bedroom homes in stone and metal.

Residents will have access to The Riley Club, a full level of amenity spanning a bathhouse, lounge, dining and retreat spaces, with Reserve and Penthouse residents also gaining the Sterling Club on Level 38. Office and retail space complete the offering, alongside the restored 1924 banking chamber and the neighbouring Batman's Hill Hotel building.

"When we took on this site, we gave our design team a simple brief: don't design around the heritage, design from it," Li said. "The State Savings Bank wasn't a constraint; it was the beginning of the story. We studied its proportions, rhythm and craftsmanship, and let those qualities shape something new, where heritage and contemporary architecture exist in conversation rather than contrast."

An enduring example of architectural ambition and grace, renowned for its Renaissance Palazzo designs and Greek Revival style influences, 623 Collins has been designed by Plus Studio with interiors by Fiona Lynch. The project has already drawn strong industry and market recognition ahead of its delivery, with construction set to break ground in the fourth quarter of 2026. Hacer Group has been appointed as builder.

"623 Collins is one chapter in that story, celebrating what's come before while helping build the Melbourne that's still to come," says Li. 

623 Collins Street is on track to be completed in Q4 of 2029. For more information please visit www.623collins.com.

Renders and images can be found via this link.

About us:

Founded in 2012, Sterling Global is a Melbourne-based luxury property developer known for its design-first approach and owner-occupier focus. Its portfolio includes Ralston, Heyington and Como Terraces, with 623 Collins Street, State Bank House currently underway in the Melbourne CBD.

Contact details:

Ashleigh Dyer
AD Press Office
[email protected]
0421128914