NEO SPACE GROUP has announced the appointment of Martijn Blanken as the Chief Executive Officer, with immediate effect.

In his new role, Martijn brings over 25 years of leadership experience across IT, telecom, consulting, and technology sectors in global markets, including Europe, Australia, Singapore, Japan, China, the Netherlands, the UK, and the UAE. He most recently served as the CEO of EXA Infrastructure. In his current capacity, he also serves as a non-executive director of Speed Fibre Group.

In previous roles, Martijn worked with I Squared Capital and Boston Consulting Group as a Senior Advisor, BDx Data Centers as a non-executive Chairman, and Telstra as the Group MD and Chief Customer Officer. He also worked with leading organisations including REACH, Telstra China, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), Australia-Japan Cable, Openwave Systems, Schiphol Telematics, Mobirail, TetraNed, and KPN in similar leadership roles.

On the academic front, Martijn holds an MBA in Industrial Marketing and International Business from the University of Groningen and has completed an executive management program from IMD. “With his core expertise in spearheading growth and innovation across global markets, he will lead the group’s transformative journey into becoming a world leader in Space, at the forefront of Space technology, inspiring today’s Saudi youth and talents. Martijn’s extensive international experience and strategic vision are invaluable as we strive to meet our goals and foster growth in the Kingdom’s space industry,” stated the company welcoming him to the leadership team.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Martijn stated, “It’s a true privilege to lead NSG. The space industry is rapidly transforming and is wide open for disruption, so the launch of NSG is very well-timed. We believe that by putting the customer’s needs at the centre of everything we do, leveraging existing assets in the industry in combination with investments in new capabilities, we will be able to become an effective disruptor and challenger brand in the global space economy and a national champion for Saudi’s space ambitions.”