De Preter’s predecessor, Dirk Wauters, left the job in December last year, and his place has been filled since then by Piet De Roe – the second time De Roe has taken over the reins ad interim. Lieten explained, “We were looking for someone with media and management experience to lead such a large and complex business as the VRT. It is also above all a high visibility business which requires great courage to lead. Those factors made the search more difficult.”

De Preter herself said, “If an opportunity like this comes along, you don’t let it go. The VRT is the finest media business in Flanders, and it’s an honour to be able to lead it. The thing that attracted me the most is that the VRT fulfils a social role in a quality way. I’m looking forward to working with the people there.”

If De Preter’s CV is distinguished by one thing, it would be bad habits. After graduating in business economics from the Catholic University of Leuven and obtaining an MBA from Helsinki Business School, she went to work in marketing for, successively, British-American Tobacco, makers of Lucky Strikes and John Players, biscuit manufacturer Delacre, and chocolate maker Barry Callebaut.

She herself appears to have become disillusioned about the usefulness of her career. In an interview published in De Morgen newspaper three years ago she said, “As a marketer I had the feeling that what I was doing was pretty useless. Where is the societal dimension in the fact that you’re get- ting people to eat more chocolate and cookies?”

That was her view when she took a different career direction, stepping over in 1998 to join Sanoma, the Finnish-owned international magazine company which publishes Flair, Story, Libelle and Goedele in Flanders, among other titles generally aimed at women. There she rose to publishing director, and then for a time to acting CEO. It may have appeared that she could succeed to the top job, but that place was taken by Aimé Van Hecke, who ironically had just stepped down from the job she now takes over, at the head of the VRT.

That post presents her with a number of challenges. She must get on with the VRT board, which has not always been the case for her predecessors. She will have to form a working rela- tionship with the Flemish government, in which case her apparent lack of any political affiliation will probably be an advantage. “I’ve no experience on that front,” she admitted. “But I’m a fast learner.”

That’s important because the autumn, and her entry into the job in Septem- ber, will bring the start of negotiations with the government over plans for the VRT’s future for 2012-2016. The broadcaster is already facing cuts of €65 million by the end of 2011, des- ignated by Piet De Roe (and thereby leaving De Preter little or nothing to do but implement them). The commercial channels, led by the VMMa (VTM and 2BE) will not stand to see the VRT dis- tort competition by taking more sub- sidy from the public purse. The gov- ernment, in the form of media minister Lieten, wants to see the VRT continue as the reference broadcaster for all of Flanders. The commercial chan- nels want the VRT to be restricted to news, information and culture, leaving the likes of game shows and big dra- mas (both of which have brought the VRT major success in recent years) to the free market. Both of those desires could be reconciled, but likely not to the VRT’s advantage. The chances are the organisation will continue in some slimmed-down form.

“I’m not going to announce any great vision here,” De Preter said last week Sandra De Preter comes from the world of women’s magazines on the announcement of her appoint- ment. “I’m first going to take the time to inform myself and to talk things over with the people inside the organisa- tion.”