The brains behind the Cordell group of companies, Joan Cordell AM was already a skilled statistician and an astute businesswoman when she recognised an opportunity to transform information sharing across an entire industry. 

Dux of her primary school year, Joan asked to study art at the Julian Ashton School after Intermediate.  At the same time realising the value of having Matriculation which she completed at Pyrmont Tech of an evening – giving her options for teaching or university. However, trading her canvas for a calculator, Joan finally chose to complete an honours degree in Statistics at the University of Sydney.

She studied at night while holding down various secretarial and research positions during the day. 

After graduating in 1954 and a stint as Statistician with Australian Paper Manufacturers, Joan’s creative side was calling.  

She took up courses in acting and modelling and was chosen as one of only three Australian models to show UK couturier Norman Hartnell’s 1958 collection. 

In 1959 Joan opted to return to statistics, joining logistics company Brambles while completing her Masters’ thesis at Sydney University.  

A six-year period followed in Wollongong, developing a Stocks & Holdings project, before Joan returned to Sydney, and decided the time was opportune to launch Cordell Research in 1969.

The first decade was crucial in establishing the areas in which researched information was vital to the building and construction industry and how it was to be collected and communicated.

A range of industry publications were developed, each with specialised applications for both trades and professionals, suppliers to the industry, insurance and finance interests – all of whom valued Cordell’s reliable project activity data.

When Building Costs and Pricing publications, updated quarterly for each eastern state, were introduced, they soon became known as the ‘Builder’s Bible’ for both private and government reference.

In 1979, Joan sold Cordell to Thomson Publications, giving Cordell the financial edge to computerise. 

She returned to her other love, art, while staying in touch with Cordell’s progress. 

In 2015 Cordell joined forces with CoreLogic and maintains its position as a market-leading source of construction data.