Work Life

Nick left a professional legacy which lasts to this day.  He was a leader not a follower, constantly challenging the world and always thinking outside the box looking for new and exciting opportunities to explore.

After graduating from The University of Sydney Nick moved to London where he lived for approximately eight years and began his career in real estate and infrastructure.  He was involved in a range of investment and project finance related businesses in the UK, including:-

• Adviser to banks on the administration of non-performing loans;

• Project management of significant commercial real estate developments; and

• Investment manager of a significant commercial real estate portfolio.

He briefly returned to Australia in 1996 where he was:

• Adviser to a variety of banks and developers in relation to various toll road projects; and

• Advisor to the Australian Government on Department of Defence Real Estate Assets.

In 1997, Nick joined Macquarie Group Limited (“Macquarie”) and was responsible for infrastructure and real estate investment across Asia, with specific focus on the Korean, Middle Eastern and Indian markets. During his 13 years with Macquarie, Nick lived in Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore and rose to a leadership position as the Head of Macquarie Capital in Asia and the Middle East.

Nick spearheaded the establishment of Macquarie’s first infrastructure funds management business in Asia, in Korea, and greatly expanded Macquarie’s geographic reach in infrastructure, establishing new infrastructure funds across Asia and the Middle East.

He led the establishment of the Korean Road Infrastructure Fund (“KRIF”) and its investment of US$2.0 billion into 14 Korean transportation assets with an enterprise value in excess of US$10 billion.   In 2006, he listed KRIF on the Korean and London stock exchanges - it became known as Macquarie Korea Infrastructure Fund (“MKIF”) and operates to this day as the leading listed infrastructure fund in Korea, and is amongst the largest infrastructure companies in Asia, with a market capitalisation of US$3.6 billion. Nick supported the passage of legislation to allow KRIF to be listed in Korea making it the first infrastructure fund to be listed in Korea, and the first to be available to Korean retail investors.

It is worth noting, that the Incheon Grand Bridge, one of Nick’s signature investments and the inspiration for the Nick van Gelder Dreamers Foundation logo, is a vital piece of Korean infrastructure, and an absolute feat of engineering. Spanning a length of 21.4km over water, it is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world.  This was Nick all over – turning dreams into reality by bringing together a team of hard working people dedicated to a common goal.  In October 2009, the opening of the Incheon Grand Bridge was marked by approximately 20,000 people running across the bridge in the Incheon Bridge Marathon.

“When I was first assigned to the construction effort, I wondered whether the project was even feasible. We were trying to build an incredibly long bridge in the middle of the sea. I soon became very much attached to it, however, as did all of our team. It’s a work of art that bought us all together.”
Myung Hyun Jung, Samsung C&T’s construction group

In 2007, Nick moved to Singapore where he increased his focus on the broader Asian and Middle Eastern markets. In 2009, the State Bank of India (SBI) and Macquarie announced the launch of the Macquarie-SBI Infrastructure Fund (MSIF) to invest in infrastructure projects in India. The fund was launched having raised US$1.037 billion. Also, during the same period, Macquarie’s first infrastructure fund in the Middle East, the ADCB Macquarie Infrastructure Fund, was launched in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi government.

Sadly, Nick passed away in 2010 and he did not get to witness the success and growth in the businesses he established and in the individuals he mentored.  All of the major infrastructure funds businesses operating in Asia today have been built by executives who worked with Nick between 2000 and 2010.  These executives all share fond memories of Nick, his big dreams, his audacity, his leadership and his relentless optimism.