Seeking new opportunities to grow and expand

Monique Adams





Anton Westraadt studied law, only to realise that he did not want to be a lawyer. That is a great supporter of continuous learning and development.

Over the years he was privileged enough to have been enrolled in several training courses and academic qualifications.

He joined the Pupkewitz Group 10 years ago but joined the Pupkewitz Motor Division in 2012 with his first assignment being to lead the marketing department, after that, he moved into the position of dealer principal for their Toyota Windhoek branch in 2014.

“In 2021 I moved out of operations into the position of franchise director, overseeing our non- Toyota brands such as BMW, Honda, Haval, Nissan, VW, and our used car business, Pupkewitz Auto,” he says.

Westraadt typically starts his day by waking up early and the day kicks off with a good cup of coffee.

He then tries to plan out his day to his best ability even though life happens and one needs to be prepared for anything that comes up.

Throughout the day he makes time in his calendar to touch base with the different stakeholders, which helps him identify trends and decision-making.

Westraadt is a man who believes in the importance of keeping active and in doing so it maintains his sanity. He loves spending time on his mountain bike or when time does not permit, on his stationary bike.

“Dinner time is family time around the table. 99% of my television time involves watching sport. During the week I prefer to read at night and not go to bed too late. On the weekends as a family, we love to travel and before the current Covid restrictions weekend getaways,” he says.

When Careers asked Westraadt what his best childhood memory is, he found it very difficult to say which one. Out of all the fond memories of his childhood, the fondest moment was his family holiday in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal – during that year as a family they operated on a tight but smart budget. However, once per year, on holiday, they could have ice cream every day and some days even twice.

It still being early days in his new position, Westraadt enjoys the position. “I am fortunate to have stepped into this role at a time when the company is on solid footing. This gives us as a team the opportunity to fine-tune aspects of our business and continue to seek opportunities to grow and expand,” he says.

He mentions that in recent times, one of the biggest challenges was the restructuring of the company in the months of June and July 2020. The lockdown at the time in April 2020 showed them what a business's financial performance looks like with a fairly high cost base, capital intensive, and no revenue.

“It was an emotional and difficult few months, the restructuring of the business. The upside to this was that we managed to structure the business to be much better prepared to weather the storms, a more sustainable business in the long term,” he says.

Having been part of the Pupkewitz Motors family for quite some time and there are a few things he is most proud of – the employees, the caring, and teamwork the team provides to each other.

From a customer’s point of view, the Pupkewitz Motors family is proud to say that it has a 30% plus market share in new vehicles being sold in Namibia and has been able to maintain.

Random Facts about yourself

· I’m a sport fanatic.

· A coffee snob.

· An introvert with adopted extrovert characteristics.

· Love travelling.

· My first car I bought in 1995 was a 1978 Datsun 1200 bakkie.

· My happy place is anywhere near water… more specifically Swakopmund.

Something Westraadt would tell his younger self is, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving,” – a famous quote by Albert Einstein.