EBU names Quartier Head of Digital, Transformation & Platforms
May 28, 2021
Wouter Quartier, a digital strategy and transformation practitioner with over 18 years’ experience at Flemish broadcaster and EBU Member, VRT, has been appointed as the EBU’s new Head of Digital, Transformation and Platforms. He will take up the position in August 2021.
Quartier held a number of roles at VRT, including most recently as Manager of Strategy and Corporate Development, where he led the digital transformation for VRT’s radio, TV, news and sports brands and the strategy for VRT’s online video platform, VRTNu.
Quartier left VRT in January 2021 to set up an independent consultancy service – we.bridge – focusing on data, strategy and management bridging of new data and AI possibilities for organisations.
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.”
Commenting on his appointment, Quartier said: “I’m excited to join the EBU, both the organisation 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.”
Quartier will also play a role as part of the EBU’s Media Management team, bringing into play his digital transformation and data management experience and also his public service media credentials.
Quartier takes over from Eeman who moves to a new position as Change Director at Mediahuis in Belgium.