🔦 Spotlight explores the impactful journeys of Diasporans excelling in their community impact, professional achievement, as well as business innovation. We uncover the challenges they’ve faced, the strategies that have led them to success, all the while providing insights, blueprints of their journeys and inspiration for all. Join us in our journey of discovering those heroes making hugely positive impacts on their communities and the people around them. 🔦
Unlike many who take a prescribed route from high school to university, George carved his own way. University was never a natural option for him; work was. At 18, he found himself making cold calls from an Armenian community directory, pitching investment properties to strangers in the hope of making his first sale. One of those calls led him to Mihran Abolakian, who didn’t buy anything from him, but offered him something better: a job. George took the job. That was nearly 28 years ago, and he’s still there.
George Benlian arrived in Sydney in July 1992, stepping into a new life at the age of 15. He came from Beirut, Lebanon, a city that had been his home through the turbulence of civil war. Though his childhood was shaped by instability, George speaks of his transition to Australia with ease, as if adaptation was second nature. He learned English quickly, found his footing in a new education system, and did what many immigrants do—he got to work.
The company he joined—Hyecorp—was just beginning its ascent in Sydney’s property market. Back then, it was a small team, taking on different aspects of development and construction. George learned by doing, wearing every hat at some stage—negotiating with councils, managing accounts, selling properties, and dealing with subcontractors. The work was relentless, but so was his curiosity. He absorbed knowledge on the go, shaping himself into an expert without ever setting foot in a university lecture hall. That was his education—real, practical, and immediate.
“The property game is about listening—listening to the market, listening to buyers, and understanding what people actually want.”
Over nearly three decades, George has seen the property industry in Sydney expand, contract, and reshape itself. He’s had a front-row seat to market booms and slowdowns, witnessing firsthand how cycles turn and fortunes change. What sets him apart is not just his longevity in the industry, but his ability to read the city’s movements—to understand when to build, when to buy, and when to wait. He’s always been watching, listening, and making decisions with an instinct honed by years in the game.
But George’s story isn’t just about property. It’s about legacy, about what gets built beyond the tangible structures. His deep connection to Armenia never faded, despite building his life in Australia. Over the years, he has remained involved in projects that tie him to the homeland—some commercial, some cultural. One of the most meaningful is his role in the development of the Balkonum Luxury Guest House in the village of Gosh, a project spearheaded by his wife, Gayane. The house stands as a symbol of persistence, constructed against logistical and bureaucratic hurdles that would have discouraged most. But they finished it—14 months from an empty plot to a fully realized guesthouse in the Armenian countryside.
“Armenia has so much potential, but we need to invest beyond Yerevan. The country won’t grow if everything stays in one place.”
Building in Armenia is different from building in Sydney. It comes with unpredictability, with old traditions intersecting with modern processes, and with a system that often feels unclear. George acknowledges this reality, but also sees its potential. He believes in growth beyond Yerevan, in the idea that the country needs strong cities and communities outside the capital. It’s the same principle that has driven his work in Sydney—understanding where people want to live, how they want to live, and creating spaces that support that.
For George, success has never been about titles or status. It’s been about learning, adapting, and taking responsibility. He built his career without shortcuts, without the security of a corporate safety net. He took a job that most would have seen as temporary, and he turned it into a lifelong profession. Now, nearly three decades later, he stands as proof that expertise isn’t always gained through formal education—it’s earned through experience, through attention, through staying the course when others might walk away.
His story is one of quiet perseverance. A life measured not in accolades, but in foundations laid, both literal and figurative. In Sydney, his work has shaped part of the city’s skyline. In Armenia, it has created something just as lasting—a place where people can gather, rest, and look out over the land that has always been home, no matter how far away life has taken them. I think one quote sums it up very well:
“I never went to university, but I’ve been learning every day for 28 years. Experience is the best education.” – George Benlian
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