Paul Molenaar, CEO of ilse media group and COO Online and Media Innovation at Sanoma Uitgevers, announced that he will leave his position from 1 March 2008 onwards on account of personal reasons.
In these roles Molenaar is co-responsible for the realisation of Sanoma Uitgevers' strategy and the stengthening of its online business.
"Both companies are close to my heart. And it is not like me to leave jobs prematurely. For these reasons, this decision is a hard one to take," says Molenaar. "I also want to state very clearly that this is not at all related to the direction of the company. With all online activities Sanoma Uitgevers is better positioned than anyone else in the Dutch market. Other publishers really see the back of us in many ways, and that will continue to be the case for years to come. It is just the fact that at this point in time I have to take another decision - very regretfully. Fortunately at ilse media as well as in the online organisation in Hoofddorp there are a lot of talented colleagues now focused on the expansion of our activities based on a clear strategy with lots of chances."
"I very much regret Paul's decision, especially because we, the new management team of Sanoma Uitgevers, have just steered the company into a new direction only for a short while, albeit strongly. On the other hand, I understand and respect Paul's decision," says Dick Molman, President of Sanoma Uitgevers.
Meanwhile, a successor is being recruited for both functions.
Dutch-based Sanoma Uitgevers is part of Sanoma Magazines, the magazine division of the SanomaWSOY Group.