Top 25 Successful and Famous Australian Businesses
Alright – we are in 2024 and it’s time to update our list of The Famous successful businesses in Australia. Not over the last decade or so,
Australia has seen some famous homegrown Successful Businesses that have put the country on the world map.
Most of these businesses were started as small businesses by Australian Entrepreneurs who used profitable small business ideas to develop their ideas into successful businesses and help contribute to the Australian economy.
In this Australian Business Blog, we look at some of Australia’s famous and profitable Businesses from different business verticals ranging from Retail to Mining.
Let’s get started!
Atlassian
Founder(s): Mike Cannon-Brookes, Scott Farquhar
Founded: 2002
Industry: Software Development
Atlassian, a 66.47 billion USD Market Cap (in Jan 2014) Australian startup, is behind popular project management tools like Jira and Confluence.
Jira is known for bringing “agile” back into agile project management.
Founded by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, Atlassian serves clients like ANZ and NASA and has offices worldwide.
Wesfarmers
Founder(s): Western Australian Farmers Federation
Founded: 1914
Industry: Food Markets
Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian company with a Market cap of 64.83 billion USD in January 2014.
Wesfarmers deals in retail, industrial and safety products, coal mining, fertilisers, and chemicals and is organised into business divisions such as Home Improvement and Office Supplies, Department Stores, and Industrials.
The company owns popular brands such as Bunnings Warehouse, Officeworks, Kmart, and Target. It also has interests in industrial businesses such as Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy & Fertilisers (WesCEF), Wesfarmers Resources, and Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety.
Wesfarmers is one of Australia’s largest private employers and is among the top 5 companies in the world in the food and staples retail.
The company has subsidiaries in different countries such as Australia, New Zealand, India, New Caledonia, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, Bermuda, and Singapore.
South32
Year of Establishment: 2015
Industry: Mining
South32 is a diversified mining and metals company in Australia, South Africa, Mozambique, Colombia, and the US.
The company explores and extracts ten commodities, including Bauxite, Alumina, Aluminium, Metallurgical coal, Manganese, Nickel, Copper, Silver, Molybdenum, Gold, Lead, and Zinc.
It is listed on three stock exchanges – the Australian Securities Exchange, the London Stock Exchange, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Canva
Founder(s): Cliff Obrecht, Melanie Perkins, and Cameron Adams
Industry: Graphics and Design Industry
Canva is a highly successful Australian tech startup that began in 2008 when Melanie Perkins realised that design tools needed simplification.
She created Canva with her boyfriend in her mother’s house and started by designing school yearbooks.
The brand took off after receiving funding from Lars Rasmussen, the creator of Google Maps.
By 2012, Canva was launched by co-founders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams and quickly became famous for its easy-to-use graphic design tools.
Today, Canva has over Canva has 135 million active monthly users as of Q4 2023 and is a 39 Billion valuation company (source: AFR)
Woolworths
Founder(s): Percy Christmas, Stanley Chatterton, Cecil Scott Waine, George Creed, Ernest Williams
Founded: 1924
Industry: Retailing
Founded in 1924, Woolworths specialises in groceries and sells other products like magazines, DVDs, and health and beauty products.
As of November 21, 2023, there are 2,259 Woolworths Group stores in Australia.
Woolworths Group is Australia’s second-largest company by revenue, with a retail presence throughout Australia and New Zealand. They’re also Australia’s largest takeaway liquor retailer and hotel and gaming poker machine operator.
In FY ’23, Woolworths Group’s revenue was $64.3B, 5.7% more than it clocked in FY ’22.
BHP Group
Year of Inception: 1885
Industry: Basic Materials
BHP Group is the largest mining company in Australia based out of Melbourne, Australia – specialising in basic materials like iron ore, coal, copper, and hydrocarbons. BHP Group’s sales value is $46.1 billion, with a profit of $6.9 billion.
According to Forbes, the company had a Revenue of $60B in 2023 with profits of $19.5B. The company also ranks 90th in the Forbes Global 2000 in 2023. (source: Forbes)
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Year of Inception: 1911
Industry: Banking
Since its establishment in 1911, Commonwealth Bank has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of its customers, and today, it stands as one of the big four banks.
CBA is Australia’s third-largest company and the biggest bank, with a market value of 189.70 billion at the start of 2024.
CBA provides various services such as investment, insurance, funds management, brokerage, and superannuation services and has a presence in the US, UK, Asia, and New Zealand.
CSL
Year of Inception: 1994
Company CEO: Paul Roger Perreault
Industry: Drugs and Biotechnology
CSL is a biotech company that researches, develops, and markets various products like vaccines, blood plasma derivatives, cell culture reagents, and antivenom. The company operates in Australia, the US, the UK, China, and Switzerland.
It operates through two segments: CSL Behring and Seqirus. CSL Behring provides plasma therapies for immunodeficiency, neurological, and bleeding disorders, while Seqirus produces and distributes influenza vaccines and non-plasma biotherapeutic products.
In 2024, CSL ranks as the 467th largest publicly-listed company on the Forbes Global 2000 list.
Beach Energy
Year of Establishment: 1961
Industry: Oil & gas
Beach Energy is an Australian oil and gas exploration company established in 1961, formerly known as Beach Petroleum. The company is the second-largest oil producer with a significant natural gas portfolio.
In 2016, it merged with Drillsearch to expand in the Cooper Basin, and 2018, it acquired Lattice Energy. The company’s first well was drilled at the present site of the Grange Golf course, named Grange-1.
The company is listed in the ASX and S&P indices, with five oil and gas-producing basins in Australia and New Zealand.
National Australia Bank
Year of Inception: 1858
Industry: Banking
National Australia Bank (NAB) is Australia’s third-largest bank, known as the leading business bank in the country.
The bank was formed in 1982 after the merger of National Australasia Limited and the Commercial Banking Company in Sydney.
The bank provides personal and direct banking, wholesale banking, NAB banking, and NZ banking services. NAB operates in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and some Asian countries.
Fortescue
Year of Inception: 2003
Industry: Materials
FMG is an Australian company that mines iron ore.
It has a fully integrated supply chain and infrastructure, with its towage infrastructure and heavy-haul railway.
Despite the impact of COVID-19 on other sectors and companies, FMG has continued to perform strongly.
In 2024, FMG ranks as the 414th largest publicly-listed company on the Forbes Global 2000 list.
Macquarie Group
Year of Inception: 1985
Industry: Diversified Financials
Macquarie Group is an investment bank in Australia founded in 1969 as Hill Samuel Australia, with only three employees.
Since then, the bank has expanded globally with a presence in over 32 markets. Today, It is the largest infrastructure asset manager globally and the top-ranked M&A advisor in Australia.
Santos Limited
Year of Establishment: 1954
Industry: Energy
Santos Ltd is an Australian oil and gas company established in 1954.
It focuses on producing oil and gas and has LNG, pipeline gas, and oil assets.
It is one of Australia’s largest natural gas suppliers and has expanded to Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Papua New Guinea.
Santos has also acquired stakes in the USA and UK petroleum industries, making it a major global Australian oil and gas company.
Haigh’s Chocolate
Year of Establishment: 1915
Industry: Confectionary
Haigh’s Chocolate is a renowned Adelaide-based, family-owned “bean-to-bar” chocolate-making company that has been producing high-quality confectionery for over a century.
The company sources premium cocoa beans from ethical and sustainable farms and uses traditional chocolate-making techniques perfected by skilled artisans to create their delectable chocolates.
Through a commitment to quality and excellence, Haigh’s Chocolate has become one of the best chocolate producers in the world.
Woodside Energy
Year of Establishment: 1954
Industry: Oil & Gas
Woodside Energy Group Limited is Australia’s largest independent oil and gas company.
Before adopting its current brand name, it was known as Woodside (Lakes Entrance) Oil Co NL. In the 1960s, the company formed the North West Shelf consortium with Shell and Burmah Oil.
Woodside has oil and gas exploration, development, and operating activities within and beyond Australia. Until 1995, the company was headquartered in Melbourne but moved to Perth in the same year.
The company merged with BHP in June 2022, and the new entity was listed on the New York Stock and London Stock Exchanges.
Car sales
Founder(s): Cameron McIntyre
Year of Establishment: 1997
Sector: Automobile
Carsales, a leading online platform for car classifieds in Australia, has expanded its presence in Latin America and Asia.
The company was established by Wal Pisciotta and Greg Roebuck in 1997 and went public on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2009, with Cameron Mclntyre taking over as CEO in 2017.
In 2017, Forbes recognised Carsales as one of the most innovative companies.
Northern Star Resources
Year of Establishment: 2003
Industry: Mining
Northern Star is a global gold producer in Australia and North America.
It deals with underground and open-pit gold mining and owns three gold production centres in Kalgoorlie, Yandal, and Pogo.
The company was founded in 2003 to explore ore deposits in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 2010, it became a gold mining company with the acquisition of Paulsens Gold Mine.
In February 2021, it merged with Saracen Metal Holdings, becoming the sole shareholder and delisting Saracen Metal Holdings from the ASX.
The Star Entertainment Group
Year of Establishment: 2011
Industry: Gambling, Tourism
The Star Entertainment Group is an Australian entertainment and gambling company listed on the ASX under the code SGR.
Formerly known as Echo Entertainment, it owns and operates several casinos and hotels nationwide, including The Star Sydney, The Star Gold Coast, and Treasury Brisbane.
In addition, the company has a joint venture to operate the Sheraton Grand Mirage on the Gold Coast and manages the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on behalf of the Queensland government.
The company also has operations in Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Austal
Year of Establishment: 1988
Industry: Shipbuilding & Defence
Austal is a global shipbuilding company based in Australia.
They specialise in designing, constructing, and supporting defence and commercial vessels.
They’ve designed and constructed over 260 vessels for various commercial fleet operations and defence forces worldwide.
Their primary customers include the Australian Border Force, Condor Ferries, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Navy of Oman, and the United States Navy.
Austal has three major ship-building facilities in Henderson, Western Australia. Mobile, Alabama, and Balamban, Philippines.
NextDC Limited
Year of Establishment: 2010
Industry: Data Centre
NextDC is an ASX-listed data centre operator based in Brisbane, founded by Bevan Slattery in 2010.
With 11 data centres across Australia, NextDC provides reliable data management outsourcing, connectivity services and infrastructure management software solutions to modern-day businesses.
In 2015, Deloitte named NextDC Australia’s fastest-growing tech company.
Flight Centre Travel Group
Year of Establishment: 1982
Industry: Travel
Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) is a global travel group based in Brisbane.
The company, founded in 1982 by Graham Turner and Geoff Harris, has grown exponentially and now operates across 90 countries through licensing agreements.
FCTG has won several awards, including being twice voted Australia’s best employer. The company’s corporate travel management network extends to major European and Asian countries, the Americas, and the UK.
REA Group
Year of Establishment: 1995
Sector: Property
REA Group is a leading global digital business specialising in property. It’s based in Melbourne, Australia, and operates in North America and Asia.
Founded in 1995, it was listed on ASX in 1999.
Its CEO is Owen Wilson, and Janelle Hopkins leads Financial Services. REA Group is the top-rated commercial and residential property website in Asia.
It had one round of funding in 2020 and made five acquisitions, including Elara Technologies, which it acquired for $70 million.
Coles Group
Year of Establishment: 1914
Sector: Consumer staple, Retail
Coles Group Limited is a major Australian retail company, ranked 17th in the ASX-200 index.
It’s the second largest employer in the country, providing jobs to thousands of people.
Coles Supermarkets is its flagship store chain, catering to diverse customer needs. It is the second-largest supermarket chain after Woolworths, focusing on quality, value, and customer satisfaction.
Rio Tinto
Year of Inception: 1873
Industry: Materials
Rio Tinto is a mining company listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).
It specialises in minerals such as copper, iron ore, aluminium, diamonds, and uranium and operates in Australia and Canada.
As of January 2024, Rio Tinto has a market cap of $114.34 Billion, and With a sales value of $44.5 billion and a profit of $9.7 billion, Rio Tinto ranks 101st on the 2023 Forbes Global 2000 list (source: Forbes).
Aurizon Holdings Ltd
Year of Establishment: 2004
Industry: Rail Transport
Aurizon is a freight rail transport company, formerly QR National, owned by the government for six years until it was privatised in 2010 and listed on the ASX.
It’s one of the major freight companies in the region, moving 770,000 tons of freight each day, including retail goods and deliveries across Queensland.
Aurizon provides comprehensive supply chain solutions for producers, consumers, and manufacturers.
