Private equity investment and banking specialist Neil MacDonald has been appointed new chief executive officer of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) and will lead the organisation as it transitions to a long-term investor in jobs, opportunities and economic growth across the north.
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said Mr MacDonald had been appointed by the NAIF Board for a five-year term after an extensive and open recruitment process.
The appointment comes after Minister King last week announced the $7 billion NAIF would continue to invest in projects across northern Australia for another 10 years, and as the government considers the outcome of a statutory review of NAIF.
"I look forward to working with Neil to further strengthen NAIF as it invests in projects across the north that will create jobs, support First Nations communities, build resilient infrastructure and position Australia as a leader in critical industries," Minister King said.
"Neil will be pivotal in leading NAIF as it prepares for the next decade of delivering for the people and communities of our north."
Mr MacDonald brings a wealth of leadership experience from industry and government, specialising in private equity investment and banking.
He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the government-owned National Intermodal Corporation Limited.
He has previously been the head of corporate finance for Mining and Primary Steel, head of corporate finance for Klesch Group Limited as well as Executive Director and Head of Project Finance Asia Pacific for JP Morgan.
Mr MacDonald will be based in Cairns and will start as NAIF CEO in early 2026.
Minister King paid tribute to retiring NAIF CEO Craig Doyle.
"I thank Craig for the significant contribution he has made to NAIF," she said.
"He has led the organisation with distinction since June 2022, overseeing major investments from large-scale resources and energy developments to social infrastructure projects across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia."
NAIF has a current portfolio of 32 project investments - 14 in Queensland, 10 in Western Australia and eight in the Northern Territory.
Together, these investments represent around $4.3 billion in approved loans towards projects forecast to generate more than $33 billion in public benefit and support thousands of jobs across the north.
