Our people
Igor Pavlov is Associate Director in Macquarie Capital’s real estate team and has been with the organisation for seven years. “Macquarie is a very diverse organisation, with a strong market position and unique culture, but global mobility has been a highlight for me,” he says.
Igor Pavlov had three years’ experience working in the Sydney office of another bank when, in 2015, he joined Macquarie Capital’s Real Estate team.
“I’d actually received an offer from Macquarie when I graduated from my Commerce degree in 2011, but at the time I decided to accept another graduate role,” he says.
“Just a couple of years later, I worked on a transaction where Macquarie Capital was the co-adviser, and was impressed by the culture,” Igor says.
He was drawn to Macquarie’s top market position and the people on Macquarie Capital’s energetic team. So, when an opportunity arose to join the Real Estate team as an Associate - he said yes.
Macquarie very much led the market in terms of unique ideas and innovative transaction structures."
Igor’s role with Macquarie Capital initially focused on corporate finance advisory work for listed clients, including mergers and acquisitions and capital raisings, but he quickly saw the breadth of options on the horizon.
“The wider Real Estate team at Macquarie had a diverse mandate and engaged in principal investing, which is not common for financial institutions.”
A couple of years in, a colleague transferred to London and, in 2017, he encouraged Igor to join him.
“I was excited by the opportunity to expand my skillset, and challenge myself in a different market,” he says.
The move saw him take on a different type of real estate work and was followed by his promotion to Vice President.
“The Real Estate team in Macquarie Capital’s London office had a very different focus to Sydney,” Igor says. “They played to our unique global strengths in private capital markets advisory including pension and sovereign wealth funds, as well as principal investing into real estate platforms.”
After a restructure in 2019, the Macquarie Capital Real Estate team in London joined the Macquarie Asset Management business and took on a new focus in raising, investing and managing third party capital.
“It was great to have the opportunity to help establish a new business and learn about a different part of Macquarie.”
Igor says he appreciated the perspective he gained from working in a different region and came to realise the culture he originally admired permeated the organisation globally.
“Macquarie’s global offices are made up of driven and talented people,” he says.
“Working in London allowed me to broaden my expertise and apply a global lens to my work. I also benefited from seeing emerging global trends in my sector first hand in a larger and more developed financial market.”
‘The connections I made across and beyond the organisation were invaluable.”
By 2020 when the pandemic hit, and with a second child on the way, Igor decided to move home to Sydney.
“I chose to return to Macquarie Capital’s Real Estate team for a number of reasons, including the team’s continuing market leadership in Australia.”
“I enjoy the fast pace in Macquarie Capital, working on a large volume of complex and high-profile transactions.”
In 2021, Igor was appointed Associate Director and says his job has evolved with each role.
“It’s been a very diverse experience,” Igor says of his career to date. “I’m constantly learning and challenging myself.”
“The work I’m doing now is focused on both origination and execution, as well as helping manage the team,” Igor says. “Strategic thinking and innovation are critical skills to have when working on realising opportunities along the entire spectrum.”
Igor says he fell into real estate, as it was the team he was placed in when he started his career. “Even after 10 years, I wouldn’t change it. There are many things I really love.”
“It’s a relatively niche asset class, so you become a specialist in the sector and interact more closely with all the players and have the opportunity to be across the bigger picture,” Igor says.
“It is also very tangible. I get to see the physical buildings, developments and assets change hands or come to life.”
Igor enjoys the dynamic nature of the real estate sector, offering him insights into different sectors from residential to office, industrial, retail or hotels and, as time has progressed, he has witnessed the market become more sophisticated and globally connected.
A recent highlight is working on the IPO of HealthCo Healthcare and Wellness REIT last year which raised $A650 million and was the second largest IPO in Australia that year, across all sectors.
“Real estate is growing overseas, and we’re seeing new sectors emerge in Australia with new clients entering the market, which makes this market an exciting place to be.”
“The pandemic has also accelerated some of the long-term trends,” Igor says.
Igor is grateful for the variety of experiences within both Macquarie Capital and Macquarie Asset Management. He also says that the way Macquarie actively encourages mobility has been a real benefit to him.
“One of the biggest draw cards is Macquarie’s global connectivity and openness to its staff having the opportunity to work offshore. Working overseas is a well-trodden path and, culturally, it has been a very easy transition,” Igor says.
As an organisation, we are always looking at what is going on beyond Australia and have a history of sending people overseas to work, establish global teams or set up new offices. The global mobility I’ve enjoyed with Macquarie has been a personal and professional highlight.”
Igor says that right now, he is directing his focus into mastering his role as Associate Director.
“Opportunities come up all the time and I’ve always said ‘yes’ to the next thing because you never know where it will take you.”
Ready to start your career with Macquarie?
Have a question about the recruitment process or working at Macquarie?
