John de Mol’s Talpa Network has appointed Maarten Meijs as chief executive.

Meijs, the president of ITV Studios (ITVS) Global Entertainment, joins at the start of 2022, reporting to Big Brother and The Voice creator de Mol.

Talpa. Maarten Meijs

Maarten Meijs appointed chief executive of Talpa

The pair previously worked together at European media mogul de Mol’s Talpa Media which was acquired by ITV in 2015.

Meijs will oversee creative arm Talpa Concepts, production division Talpa Entertainment Productions, and partnerships and international sales unit Talpa Distribution.

De Mol launched broadcast-focused Talpa Network in 2017 after selling his production outfit Talpa Media to ITV Studios for £355m in 2015.

Since then, de Mol has grown Talpa rapidly, devising and selling formats such as Marble Mania and Avastars around the world.

De Mol said: “Maarten Meijs is a dynamic leader and he brings a strategic mindset as well as a proven track record in leading businesses and building big brands such as The Voice, which has become the number one global brand under his helm.”

Meijs added: “My time at ITV Studios has been a wonderful journey, but I am truly excited to help build Talpa to become an important and ambitious content company with creativity and innovation at its core.

“Talpa has a unique mix of elements to deploy with access to screen in The Netherlands through its linear networks and digital platforms. The aim will continue to be transformative in content creation, which is key to accelerating global ambitions to better serve audiences across all platforms as well as creating value for brands.

“It is the right climate for shaping creative partnerships with brands, creative talent and media partners to turn great ideas into strong content propositions.”