Last week, Hudson’s founder and Chairman, Alfie Borg, was honoured with a special trophy celebrating 40 years of partnership with Nike. Engraved on the trophy were the words: “40 years with the Swoosh, building sport, building partnership, building a legacy.”
At Nike’s Fall ’27 Sales Meeting in Barcelona last week, Alfie was invited onto the grand stage by the NIKE senior leadership team of CEMEA, Stijn Verlinden and Séverine Michot, who recognised his contribution taking the Swoosh across Africa. The celebration continued with a surprise video message from Eliud Kipchoge, Olympic gold medallist and marathon record holder from 2018 to 2023, shown on the big screen behind the stage. Alfie was then presented with the Nike trophy by Rugby World Cup winner Jesse Kriel.
It was a deeply proud and emotional moment for Alfie, one that not only reflected an extraordinary personal achievement, but also four decades of shared commitment, trust and partnership.
Alfie’s journey with Nike began in 1986, when he brought the brand to Malta when he was just 22 years old. From there, he developed Nike’s presence in the country and helped establish a strong foundation for the years that followed. Nike Italy later invited Hudson to bring its sneaker concept, Urban Jungle, to Italy, opening a new chapter in the relationship with the brand.
In the early 2000s, Alfie began working through Nike Italy to develop the brand across Africa. The project was subsequently passed to Nike EHQ, allowing the initiative to grow into a broader regional strategy. The journey began in Nigeria and later expanded to Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
In the late 2000s, Nike introduced its “One Africa” approach, closing its Dubai Africa office and warehouse and entrusting the operation to Hudson in Malta. Here Hudson established a bonded distribution hub that receives products from Asia and Europe, organises and labels them by customer, before shipping them to more than 30 countries across Africa. In doing so, it serves as an important midpoint between this international brand and in-country retailer.
Since then, Hudson has expanded its operations and retail footprint in Africa and has warehouse operations in Kenya and is planning an additional facility in Tangier in early 2027. These developments are expected to provide even stronger coverage across East, Central and West Africa, further strengthening the infrastructure that supports the region.
Throughout this remarkable journey, Alfie and Hudson have been strongly supported by many people across Nike, from the early days with the Nike Italy team to the management and teams at Nike EHQ who believed in the vision, offered guidance and provided continuous mentorship. Too many people have contributed to name them individually, but every one of them has played a meaningful role in shaping this partnership and helping bring the Swoosh to athletes and consumers across Africa.
A special thanks go to Pavel Lysiakov, Séverine Michot and Stijn Verlinden, whose efforts helped bring this memorable celebration together.
This recognition is more than a personal milestone for Alfie. It is a tribute to everyone who has helped build the partnership, strengthen the business and turn a vision that began in Malta into a lasting presence across Africa. We take this opportunity to thank the Hudson team with a special mention to our dedicated Nike teams in Malta, Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria and Kenya, who live and breathe the Nike brand across Africa every day.
Thank you, everyone. After 40 years, we can look back with immense pride at what has been achieved together and forward with enthusiasm to the next chapter.
