The Vision of Our Founder
The Vision of Our Founder
Michael Westenberg – Founder
In 2010, Michael Westenberg boldly transitioned from his corporate expat career to establish his own Multi-Market Distribution Platform in Istanbul, Turkey.
Born in 1977, Michael Westenberg hails from Enkhuizen, a city in the northwest of the Netherlands. He completed his primary and secondary education in his hometown before graduating in 2000 from HES Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Immediately after graduation, Michael embarked on an international business career. He started in Budapest, Hungary, where he served as a Commercial Director for a logistics service provider.
From manager to entrepeneur
In the early 2000s, while developing his career in logistics and supply chain management throughout the Central & Eastern European region, Michael built a strong knowledge base regarding the market-entry barriers faced by brands aiming to enter and supply new markets.
In 2006, Michael was appointed Managing Director of a Turkey-based international logistics service provider. The company was underperforming but operated in an emerging market. On behalf of a Dutch investment company, he undertook the task of improving the company’s overall business performance.
By 2008, Michael was headhunted to structure and capture business value in the Turkish market for an international logistics and freight forwarding company.
In 2010, Michael resigned from corporate life to pursue entrepreneurship.
As an interim director, he assisted international corporates like Hermes Paris, Footlocker, and Shimano in entering the Turkish market.
While managing his duties as an interim director, Michael began formulating the business model for an optimal distribution hub.
In 2013, Michael launched the Turkish hub operations by onboarding an Irish meat processing company that needed procurement and shipping solutions in Turkey. This was quickly followed by the Dutch Flower Group, which utilized Michael’s hub to manage its value chain into the Turkish market, supplying retail chains.
Building a Platform
In 2014, Michael made a significant strategic move by broadening the company’s market scope. He decided to merge with a Dutch Market Expansion Services provider that had a strong presence in the Indian market. Although the planned merger did not materialize, Michael took over the Indian-based company, laying the foundation for the NXT GROUP Multi-Market Distribution Platform.
During the acquisition process of the Indian company, Michael founded a Netherlands-based holding company in 2015. His vision was to build and grow a Multi-Market Distribution platform that provides European and American brands and manufacturers with direct market access and an optimal value chain into new or existing markets.
Expanding the international reach
After establishing the holding company, expanding the international reach of the NXT platform into new markets became one of the company’s strategic missions.
In 2020, NXT experienced a surge in interest from consumer brands seeking omni-channel supply capabilities in the Turkish market and an infrastructure to supply leading online channels in Turkey, India, and Europe.
To address this demand, NXT decided to build a value chain for consumer goods and integrate it with the world’s largest marketplace, Amazon. By aligning with Amazon’s international expansion, NXT aimed to develop and expand its infrastructure.
Michael continues to chair and guide the company toward further growth. This ongoing process enables the continuous transfer of knowledge and expertise to both new and existing partners who entrust NXT GROUP with their value chain and expansion into new and existing international markets.
Global Head Office
Sugar City, Suiker Silo-Oost
5th Floor, Number 15
1165 MS Halfweg
+31(0)20 237 3000
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