EBU names new digital chief

Pubcaster organisation the EBU has named Wouter Quartier as its new head of digital, transformation and platforms. He will take up the position in August.

Wouter Quartier

Quartier previously held a number of roles at Belgium’s VRT, including most recently as manager of strategy and corporate development, where he led the digital transformation for the pubcaster’s radio, TV, news and sports brands and the strategy for VRT’s online video platform, VRTNu.

Quartier takes over from Ezra Eeman who moves to a new position as Change Director at Mediahuis in Belgium. Eeman joined the EBU in 2017 from VRT, where he had been Head of VRT Start-Up.

Jean Philip De Tender, Media Director, EBU, said, “We were looking for a candidate with an exceptional range of experience for this complex and pivotal role that is central to everything we do at the EBU and to the expertise we provide to our Members. Wouter combines the skills and flexibility to lead the EBU’s activities in this area as we respond to greater challenges and accelerated change within our industry, especially in the context of COVID-19. He will work closely with a newly-elected Digital Committee that is committed to supporting the EBU as we advance further in this field and he inherits a solid legacy from his predecessor, Ezra Eeman, who created a culture of digital adoption in our organization and built the foundations that have enabled the EBU and our Members to adapt and react to new challenges so effectively.”

Quartier said, “I’m excited to join the EBU, both the organization and the wider Membership, and will be proud to carry on the ground-breaking work that the EBU is doing in the field of digital transformation, distribution and platforms. I’m very much looking forward to collaborating with the EBU and its Members but, for me, this is not so much a new beginning as a continuation of the close ties and connections that I’ve developed with the EBU Membership through my work as part of my previous participations at the EBU, such as the EBU Digital Transformation Initiative, the EBU Strategy Group and the GEAR network. Through these links, I’ve seen the significant impact digital development is having on public service media, the challenges and the opportunities – and I can’t wait to get started and build on the great record of my new team.”