494 Img 8080 Druk C Michiel Devijver

Jeroen Vanden Berghe appointed new chairman of the Board of Directors of NTGent

| 23 February 2023
On February 21, 2023, Jeroen Vanden Berghe (47) was appointed the new chairman. Vanden Berghe is replacing Helena De Meerleer who is stepping down after three successful years. Meanwhile, the procedure for finding a new artistic director for NTGent has also been laid down.

Together with the artistic and business management, the Board of Directors defines the general policy and strategy of the city theatre. The Board determines NTGent's mission and strategy, approves the annual budget and annual accounts, and discusses the overall artistic programme. Jeroen Vanden Berghe has been a member of NTGent's Board of Directors since September 2020 and will become its new chairman with immediate effect.

"Over the past two and a half years, I had the privilege of contributing my bit to NTGent's success as a member of the Board," says Vanden Berghe. "I got to know NTGent as a city theatre that stands confidently in its shoes and enjoys recognition for that. Securing this position - both artistically and in terms of business - and using it as a basis to further enable creators, staff, and audiences to enjoy what this house has to offer, is an ambition I want to support as chairman."

Helena De Meerleer had been chairman of the Board of Directors since 2020 and played a major role in the past successful years for NTGent. "I want to explicitly thank my predecessor," says Vanden Berghe. "As chairman of the Board of Directors, she made a major contribution to where NTGent stands today. An example of this was the preparation and approval of the management agreement with the Flemish government for the period 2023-2027, a process that was successfully completed in co-creation between the artistic and business team and the directors."

THE PROCEDURE FOR THE NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR LAID DOWN

At the suggestion of the Artistic Advisory Board, on the 21st of February, the Board of Directors of NTGent also approved the procedure for the selection of a new artistic director. As is known, the Swiss Milo Rau will leave that position in the summer of 2023 after being appointed the new intendant of the internationally renowned festival Wiener Festwochen.

It has been decided that a specially constituted jury will take charge of the search for a new artistic director. The jury will consist of several members of the Artistic Advisory Board (including chairman Prof. Bram Van Oostveldt), a number of external advisers, and a number of NTGent staff members who together represent the functioning of the house in all its facets.

The first step in the procedure will be a broad round of consultations (March and April) in which employees, in-house artists, and people from the wider theatre field will be surveyed. Based on those interviews, the Artistic Advisory Board will draw up a profile, which should lead to a vacancy once approved by the Board. Candidates will then have several months to apply. The aim is to complete the final selection round in September. It is the Artistic Advisory Board that submits a shortlist of candidates in order of preference to the Executive Board. Finally, the Board will appoint the new artistic director.

BIOGRAPHY JEROEN VANDEN BERGHE

Jeroen Vanden Berghe has been Logistics Administrator at Ghent University since September 2012. Together with the Academic Administrator, he forms the university's executive committee in charge of the day-to-day management of the university in administrative, technical and financial terms, and coordinates the operation of the administrative services. He is also the driving force behind the academic heritage policy at UGent, which resulted in the opening of the university museum (GUM - Gents Universiteitsmuseum). In addition, he assumes management responsibility in numerous organisations (UZGent, TechLane Ghent Science Park, Hogeschool Gent, NTGent, Gent2030,... ).

CONTACT

For questions about this press release, please contact Tom De Clercq, spokesman of NTGent at tom.de.clercq@ntgent.be or 0032/476.74.98.74