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From trainee to developer

Bjørn began his career as a purchasing trainee at a paper mill, where he quickly progressed to the international market. ”When Asia began taking over Europe’s paper production around 2000, I was sent abroad. With a project team, I travelled through Asia, South America, and Australia to find building land for new factories.”

Bjørn met Gerard van Liempt in 2016. Together they developed land in Rumlang, Switzerland and found an ideal tenant in Intercity Hotels. ”Our approach caught on and led to a frame agreement for multiple hotel locations across the entire group. That was the starting point of Necron Group. Alongside hospitality, we added logistics and healthcare projects. In the next few years, Necron Group expended very quickly.”

Accelerator method

According to Carlier, Necron Group’s strength lies in reliability, precision, and speed. ”As a property developer, we’re constantly searching for land. The fact that we’re regularly offered opportunities is thanks to the ripple effect we work on systematically. We start somewhere in an area or with a specific tenant and keep expanding and strengthening that collaboration further.”

Since 2024, Necron Group has increasingly shifted towards the role of end investor. ”With our self-developed Accelerator method, we speed up the process and reduce risks. It essentially means we acquire projects where the development phase, preferably including the permit process and leasing, is already arranged before we step in.”

Short lines

For Bjørn, finding the right land is primarily a matter of networking. “Listening carefully. Building trust. Keeping your word. Opportunities can present themselves at any moment, so I’m on call 24/7. And equally important: we have direct lines of communication with tenants, financiers, construction partners, architects, and local authorities.”

He cites the ripple effect principle in Ridderkerk as an example. “We were able to take over the first plot from a good relationship. We built a strong bond with the tenant and with Gemeenschappelijke Regeling Nieuw Reijerwaard, which allocates the building land in that area. When the first project turned out a success, we were subsequently allowed to build Ridderkerk II and III as well.”

That not every opportunity immediately turns to gold is part of the game, according to Carlier. “Our warehouse in Eemshaven hasn’t been let yet, but we have absolute faith in that location with its sea connections to England and Scandinavia. It helps that we have staying power. As soon as the area develops into the Netherlands’ new logistics hotspot, we’ll be in the front row.”

Work as lifestyle

“I don’t relax in the way others might expect,” Bjørn admits. “Since I was fourteen, I’ve been busy every day discovering, spotting opportunities, and connecting people. I love that. I don’t consider my job as work, but as a lifestyle. It might sound strange, but work relaxes me.”

Even now that he’s seen virtually the entire world, his work continues to energise him. “This full life gives me so much. I learn every day because I find everything interesting. Moreover, working with Gerard is an absolute privilege. From the moment we met, I’ve been learning from him, and that hasn’t stopped to this day.

Yet something has changed since he moved to the Veluwe. “I started to enjoy walking through the forest with the dogs. Although, I still take my phone with me,” he laughs. “But… I used to have two.”

Giving back

When asked what he still wants to achieve in life, Bjørn pauses to think. Suddenly, a spark appears in his eyes. “Experiencing all those different cultures has been enormously valuable to me. For instance, I’ve been considering helping hotel school students from Myanmar with internship placements. Currently, they can only go to one resort outside their own country, which means many of them miss the opportunity for international experience. I genuinely believe I can help by connecting the right people from my network.”

During another trip, Bjørn came across a small school in a village in Thailand where volunteers teach. “Progress starts with education, so contributing to that seems important to me. Perhaps by acquiring land or arranging financing? Then hopefully more of these types of projects will get off the ground. Building something is in my nature. Obviously, I’m not going to solve poverty single-handedly, I’m realistic about that too. But I can contribute.”

Stopping work isn’t on the cards for now. “I enjoy what I do far too much for that. But I can imagine that at some point I’ll divide my time between working and giving something back. With my experience, resources, and network, I can help people who were less fortunate with where their cradle stood. After all, I remain a fixer.”