New top-level structure for DPG Media
Erik Roddenhof will become the new CEO of DPG Media. As of March the 1st, Erik will have the final responsibility for the day-to-day management, the execution of strategy, and the digital transformation. Christian Van Thillo, who was in charge of the group for the past thirty years, will become executive chairman of the board. He will primarily be concerned with strategy, the acquisition policy, and the development of the group’s mediabrands.
Piet Vroman will remain the CFO of DPG Media. Kris Vervaet and Anders Krab Johansen will remain CEOs of the Belgian and Danish activities. They will report directly to Erik, who himself will stay responsible for the operational control of the Dutch branch.
The reason for this new top-level structure is the strong growth of DPG Media. The company acquired a large group of mediabrands in the Netherlands and Denmark with Mecom; obtained complete control over Belgium’s biggest entertainment brands with Medialaan and expanded their online-services division significantly with the acquisition of Independer.
Recently the company also announced the intention of acquiring Sanoma Media Netherlands, the publisher of, amongst others, Libelle, NU.nl, vtwonen and Donald Duck. This transaction has been submitted for approval to ACM, the Dutch antitrust committee.
In past years DPG Media has turned into a broad media concern, with over six thousand employees, and a broad span of activities in news media, television, radio, magazines and online services, in three countries.
The group is in the middle of a major digital transformation, which has already yielded great results, but there are still a lot of steps to undertake. With this new structure, DPG Media enters a new phase in her evolution. Operational strategy, innovation and the intended further expansion of the group request an adjustment of management.
Together with the executive board and our CEOs, I will concern myself more with our strategic development. I will again dedicate more of my time to the people that make our media.
Christian Van Thillo: “For me it’s all about combining the creative and the commercial parts of our group in the best possible way. Where the creative consists solely of the profession of making successful media, the commercial part is all about the art and the discipline of having a sound company policy. To combine both in an optimal way is an extremely fascinating, but at the same time a very intensive process. Recently the complexity has only further increased with the various acquisitions and the digital transformation of our group. That’s why this was the right moment to implement a new top-level structure, and I am truly happy that Erik will fulfill the role of CEO. He’s the right man in the right place. Together with the executive board and our CEOs, I will concern myself more with our strategic development. I will again dedicate more of my time to the people that make our media. I am really looking forward to this, and I believe that we have taken a significant step towards a successful future.”
Erik Roddenhof: “I am truly honoured that Christian and the board have asked me to become the CEO of this wonderful group. Last year we have set up a BENE-executive board to optimize the advantages of the synergy between Belgium and the Netherlands. As CEO of this team, I had the privilege to work with people that excel at their various disciplines. We have achieved great results and will continue on this road of intensive cooperation. This is of vital importance for the digital transformation of the entire group.”
Ludwig Criel, chairman of the board: “It is our great pleasure to announce Erik Roddenhof as the new CEO of our group. With the integration of the recent acquisitions in our group, as well as the necessity of further digitalisation, there is a lot of complex work to be done. These developments ask for an adaptation of our management structure. We, as board of directors, look forward to work towards the future of this beautiful company, together with the new management.”