Creative impulse

Ghelamco Poland is one of the most dynamic and aggressive developers operating on the Polish market, in June beating all-comers to buy a 2-ha plot in Warsaw’s Wola district for the unheard of sum of PLN 85 mln. In the same month, Ghelamco sold its Trinity Park I office complex in the suburb of Mokotów. The company also has plans to re-develop the ruins of the Bank of Poland. ‘Eurobuild’ gets beneath the smooth surface of Ghelamco Poland’s managing director, Jeroen van der Toolen

 What do you like most and least about doing business in Poland?

Mostly I like the experience of a changing environment. So many things have changed in all business sectors over the past 7.5 years. The economy is strong and growing. Companies in Poland can achieve high growth figures and develop new markets. In Holland nothing has really changed for the last 7 years – and certainly not for the better. If we look at our real estate sector, over the past 10 years Warsaw has been one of Europe’s largest construction sites. I also like the Polish people very much: they are pro-active, you can trust them, they are open minded, and great to work and have fun with.

 Who do you most admire in the real estate business?

Paul Gheysens, the owner and founder of Ghelamco. He started from scratch and has built the company up to a high professional level active in various countries. He has a great knowledge of all aspects of construction and development and has an unbelievable amount of energy. He is able to raise me to a higher professional level through his support and trust. He is my boss and my friend.

 How did you first get into real estate?

By coincidence, I studied Business Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and like the majority of students wanted to start working for one of the large Dutch companies, such as Philips, Heineken or Unilever. Before applying for a traineeship to one of them I decided to do some trail job interviews and applied for a traineeship at the largest property consultant in the Netherlands, DTZ Zadelhoff. During the interviews my interest in commercial real estate started to grow and I decided to join. Looking back, real estate was a very good choice. 

 What do you regard as your greatest professional success so far?

With our Ghelamco team we have tripled the Polish business of the company in the past 3.5 years by developing beautiful, award winning projects. We have also opened offices in Kiev and Moscow and have a nice pipeline of future projects.

 What is your greatest failure?

I still don’t speak any Polish and honestly I haven’t made any real effort to learn the language. My girlfriend – who is Polish – has already learned Dutch in the meantime ... shame on me! I promise that one day I will speak Polish! 

 What contribution do you think you have made to Polish society through your business activities?

We have created new environments and street layouts in Warsaw. For example, many people have made very positive comments about the improvement Zaułek Piękna brought to the junction of ul. Piękna, ul. Krucza and ul. Mokotowska. Apart from our core business, we have supported cultural events.

 Which major projects are you planning in the near future?

We have over 250,000 sqm in the planning stage in Poland and over 400,000 sqm in Kiev and Moscow. At the moment, 75,000 sqm is under construction in Poland. Among other projects, in 2006–2007 we start a very nice office development in Warsaw called Senator on the corner of ul. Bielańska and al. Solidarności, and also a very nice mixed use project on the former Warszawskie Zakłady Graficzne site. We will renovate and build a very beautiful residential project on Foksal (Rezydencja Foksal) and we started this year on a 42,000 sqm business park on ul. Marynarska, as well as large logistic parks in Kiev and Moscow.

 Which is your favourite building and why?

The next project we develop. I like to create.

 Which living person do you most admire and why?

My parents and girlfriend, they are closest to my heart.

 With which historical figure do you most identify?

Never thought about comparing myself with others, everybody is unique.

 What is your fondest memory?

I have many nice memories but the fondest still has to come.

 What is your idea of a perfect day?

Acquiring perfect locations, receiving good news the whole day about permissions, projects being delivered on time, signing large leasing deals, having a good party in the office, going for an excellent dinner and beers with my best friends and girlfriend and then good sex. Of course a couple of times per year the perfect day is a romantic seafood dinner with my girlfriend on a tropical beach after a day of diving.

 Which is your favourite restaurant and why?

I don’t have a favourite restaurant, but I like fusion cuisine very much and Thai food.

 Who is your closest friend and why?

Karel, he lives in Amsterdam. We have had many special moments together during the last 16 years. We are like brothers. 

 Which characteristic do you hate most in others?

Lying and a negative attitude.

 How would you like to be remembered?