Our Team
Our team is inter disciplinary, from various backgrounds and different parts of the world. We understand that this is a pre-requisite to deliver great value in all our projects.
Dr. Douglas van den Berghe
Founder and CEO of NxtZones and previously CEO of Investment Consulting Associates (ICA) - a FDI advisory firm - and two technology ventures which were acquired over the last years. He previously held positions at UNCTAD, EY and Erasmus University.
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Douglas has more than 25 years of experience and has worked with more than 100 government and private sector clients on multiple projects.
He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam and is considered one of the leading global experts on FDI, SEZs, competitiveness innovation and investment incentives. Douglas has been an advisor to numerous governments, SEZ, and investment promotion agencies (IPAs)and is currently advising multiple countries in emerging and frontier markets on their SEZ development.
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Douglas is also an enthusiastic and stimulating guest speaker.
Dr. Adarsh Varma
Dr. Adarsh Varma, Partner at NxtZones, is a senior economist with 18 years' experience in trade, investment and economic development projects across Europe and the MENA region.
He has previously worked for WSP, Burohappold and Ricardo as a senior director. He specializes in SEZ strategies and business models and more recently supporting clients comply with UN SDG and ESG standards.
He has worked in over 30 countries and brings in multi-cultural ideas and best practices to create meaningful dialogue and solutions. Adarsh has worked with UNIDO, UNCTAD, ILO, GIZ, UK FCDO, EBRD, European Commission, Afriexim Bank, African Development Bank, Africa Economic Zones Organisation (AEZO), African Union (AU), Trademark East Africa and the World Bank on economic diversification, investment attraction and green growth projects.
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Ms. Pooya Ahmadi
Ms. Pooya Ahmadi is an experienced advisor fine art and culture investments with NxtZones. ​
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She is focused on Provenance Research services and due diligence, as well as management of the negotiations for sales or acquisition of artworks. She has a passion for supporting collectors on their journey and has cultivated trusted relationships with collectors, dealers, curators and advisors who share the same values and ethos, namely transparency. ​
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Prior to the art world, Pooya gained extensive experience both in media and in business through launching and managing both a production company and a TV Channel in the UK in 2006 (on Sky platform (no. 547) called ‘The Business Channel’. She’s a seasoned Producer and Director, and studied Interior Structural Design, as well as Film & Photography (contemporary media). Pooya also studied History of Art, focused on Italian Renaissance. ​
Pooya was a 2007 finalist in the TSB awards for ‘best women in business’ - Media category (UK) and has held a number of Advisory and Trustee positions in non-for-profit Foundations and NGOs.​
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Mr. Ethan Allen Hall
Mr. Ethan Allen Hall is an experienced advisor fine art and culture investments with NxtZones. ​
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For over twenty years Ethan has worked within the Design, Antiques, Fine Arts, Furniture, and textile trades, producing, sourcing, and selling.​
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He began his training in his home country, America, where he studied Architecture and design. Upon completion, he moved to Italy, where he studied and worked in Art Conservation, before finally moving to London to pursue a degree in the History of European Art and design.​
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Through his many years of study and work he has acquired an extensive range of skills and knowledge; in Architectural Design, both practical and conceptual, and in the many periods and styles of the Decorative Arts and Design in Europe, Britain, and America.​
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His passion can be found in a mix of contradictory styles; however, it is Art Deco and the Austrian Successionist movements which inspire him the most. These two periods of design perfectly distil what he values most, quality, artistry, individuality, beauty, and the desire to embrace the future with style.​
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His vast experience gives him an insight into the fabric of buildings, their place in time, and how to enrich structures through architectural alterations, designing bespoke furnishings, and incorporating period objects.​
Tom Soigwa
Mr Tom Soigwa is a professional marketer with over 25 years’ hands – on experience gained in both private and public sectors. He is a holder of MBA in Strategic Management. He has worked in various industries including Logistics, Airline, Banking, Manufacturing and Government development & Export investments agencies. Mr. Soigwa has helped deliver revenues targets and operational efficiencies in many companies and organizations where he has worked.
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Tom is a result oriented manager with skills in strategic planning, long and short-term goal setting, budgeting, developing customer retention strategies, understanding consumer behaviour, forecasting, budgeting and cost control.
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He has over 6 years’ experience in Free Zones management having worked at Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) in Kenya as General Manager in charge of Commercial & Technical services Division.
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He has strong experience in Free Zone General management, Free Zone Commercial and Marketing, Free Zones Development and infrastructure and Strategy and Business Development for Free Zones.
Tom Becker​​
Tom is originally from Germany and has completed his studies in the UK. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Durham University and a Master’s in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has recently worked with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in their Trade, Investment and Innovation Division.
His main research interests focus on China’s economic policy in the Asia-Pacific region And the changing dynamics in the global political economy. Recent projects have included works on sustainable industrial policy, China’s role in infrastructure projects from investment to construction and the economic diplomacy of small and developing countries.