Media director Jacqueline Smit interim head of NOS Sport

Consultant and media director Jacqueline Smit has been appointed interim head of NOS Sport. She fills the gap that has arisen after the departure of the four-person editor-in-chief of the sports department of the NOS, after many reports of transgressive behaviour.

Smit starts immediately; due to current obligations, first part-time and from mid-April full-time. In principle, her appointment is for six months. At the same time, the procedure for a new editor-in-chief for the sports department will also start. Smit will mainly focus on the people and culture within the organization and will be ultimately responsible.

Smit (58) currently works as a senior consultant and interim manager at 3Rivers, an agency that advises media companies on strategy and organisation. She is also the founder of consultancy firm Rockport Ink, which specializes in change processes, personal development and leadership.

She previously worked for Microsoft Netherlands and for large media companies such as the 538 Group, where she was CEO, and TMG, one of the largest media companies in the Netherlands, which includes De Telegraaf and a large number of regional dailies. There she was commercial director. She is currently also a commissioner at regional broadcaster L1.

NOS director Gerard Timmer is happy with Smit: “I’m glad we were able to find someone of her caliber so quickly. She has the knowledge and experience to initiate the desired changes at NOS Sport.”

Reports from almost a hundred employees and former employees revealed that the sports editors have an unsafe working climate and that there is evidence of transgressive behaviour, including discrimination, (sexual) harassment and bullying. The reports were received by external confidential advisers after news of abuses in the TV programmes DWDD in The Voice of Holland.

The reports to the NOS concern the past twenty years. For almost the entire period, since 2004, the editorial staff of NOS Sport has been led by editor-in-chief Maarten Nooter and his deputies Pim Marks and Ewoud van Winsen. Selma Schuurman later also joined the editorial board.

Nooter and Van Winsen have since left. Smit will initially work with Marks and Schuurman, who have been given the task of guaranteeing continuity. Smit herself does not want to respond to her new position yet, she wants to meet the employees of the sports editor tomorrow.

Timmer is impressed by how the current employees of NOS Sport have handled the matter: “In this complicated and difficult time, the editors have not only shown a lot of solidarity, but also shown the strength and quality that is so typical of NOS Sport. “

In addition to half the editors-in-chief, sports presenter Tom Egbers is no longer active at NOS Sport due to the revelations. The management decided this in consultation with the presenter after reports in the Volkskrant about misconduct by Egbers in the editorial office after an extramarital affair. Egbers said on the TV show Khalid in Sophia to have a different view on it.