Mediahus, a Belgium-based media company that owns De Telegraaf, has announced that on Sept. 1 Xavier van Leeuwe will start his new role as CEO of digital marketplaces.
Van Leeuwe (LinkedIn profile) joined Mediahuis in 2010 as director of marketing and data at NRC Media, and since 2017 his role has been director of consumers at Mediahuis Nederland. He will succeed Paul Verwilt who will continue to serve as COO of Mediahuis group.
“Digital Marketplaces make a significant and growing contribution to the operating result of our group and the market potential is great. An opportunity that we want to maximize with the appointment of Xavier van Leeuwe. He pioneered new strategies at both NRC Media and Mediahuis Nederland that have led to a sustainable increase in the number of paying subscribers. Xavier’s rich expertise in data and customer centricity, as well as his understanding of the challenges and opportunities of digital innovation, are a great asset to our Digital Marketplaces,” said Verwilt.
In its announcement, Mediahuis said that tech innovation and understanding how to work with data are key to its digital marketplace business model. A model the group says has strengthened its recruitment, automotive, and housing marketplaces, with sites including Jobat, Jaap, AutoTrack, and CarsIreland.
“I would like to thank Mediahuis for the trust they have placed in me. Paul Verwil and his team have left Digital Marketplaces in top form,” van Leeuwe said.
Mediahuis has recently joined its local rival DPG Media to compete with international giants such as AutoScout24 and Indeed in the automotive and recruitment marketplace categories. In the Netherlands the two media groups compete with the merged Adevinta and Ebay, which owns Marktplaats, the most popular general marketplace in the Netherlands.