Koon Min is an Assistant Vice President in the Infrastructure department based in our London Office. He seeks opportunities to invest across the infrastructure space through a range of products, from partnering with like-minded corporates through long-term equity stakes to loaning developers capital to finance construction of new projects.
Outside of work, he was an active member of the GIC Dragonboat team whilst he was based in Singapore. Now that he is based in London, he has replaced that with hiking and cycling excursions around London on the weekends.
Why did you decide to join GIC?
I got into investing by joining the investment club in university, taking a couple of courses in finance, and doing a few internships. I found the process of learning about new sectors and market trends, the ability to back companies with missions and stories that you believed in, and the reward of seeing your capital grow to be quite exciting.
Whilst I was exploring career opportunities, I knew that GIC had a vital role in safeguarding Singapore’s reserves, that it was a well-regarded institution, and that the caliber of the people in the firm was high. Thus, while I had little insight into what really went on inside the company, I was keen to find out more, and applied to the GIC internship program in my penultimate year in university.
What does your typical workday look like?
Most of my time is spent on sourcing, prosecuting, and managing our deals. This involves doing market research to identify attractive opportunities, meeting counterparties to find ways to work together, executing due diligence processes, and managing our investments once a deal is signed.
We visit our assets across Europe frequently to get a sense of the progression and spend a lot of time crunching numbers to find opportunities where we are convinced that we will be able to make good returns on. It is a very dynamic job.
What do you like most about working here?
The ability to keep on learning every day – about new markets, new sectors, and new companies. One thing that I did not appreciate before joining was the extent of GIC’s capabilities in terms of the types of investments we make, the extent of our participation in different markets and products, and the scale of our investment operations. It is a firm with a broad reach in the financial world, and it is a privilege to be involved and plugged-in to the latest developments in the market through my work.
How would you describe the learning & development culture at GIC?
I was an intern under the GIC Internship Programme (GIP) and was given a return offer to join the GIC Professionals Programme (GPP) upon graduation.
As part of the GPP curriculum, there were a few weeks of structured training that helped me get started with the basics. From what I recall, we had crash courses in accounting, financial modelling, and fixed income analysis amongst other sessions. The 3 rotations to various business lines for a few months each thereafter also gave me exposure to different departments in the firm.
I would say most of the learning happens on the job. This is an industry that takes years to master, and I believe GIC is one of the best places to work for any budding investor. There are many veterans of the industry to learn from within the firm, and you have all the resources you need at your disposal.
What you should know before joining GIC
Demonstrate that you are capable by excelling in what you are currently doing!