Outgoing State Secretary Gunay Uslu (Culture and Media) is leaving the cabinet and becomes top woman at travel provider Corendon. The company was founded by her brother Atilay Uslu.
Uslu will leave on December 1. She writes in a response that it was “not an easy decision” and that she “did not take it lightly”. But she feels the responsibility to switch to Corendon.
Although she would have liked to “finish the ride with the cabinet”, Corendon had made an urgent appeal to her. Steven van der Heijden, the current CEO, had to resign from his duties due to personal circumstances. Uslu therefore says it is switching now.
“I see Gunay as my dream successor,” says Van der Heijden. “She knows the company inside and out and knows what it takes to further expand Corendon’s success.”
Uslu emphasizes in her letter that her love for culture and the creative sector “of course” continues. “Just like the great appreciation for all the people who are committed to it. Culture is crucial.”
Back to the family business
Gunay Uslu has been involved with Corendon since the company was founded in the late 1990s. At the beginning of 2022, she left the company to enter politics. Then D66 asked her to be State Secretary for Culture and Media because of her experience as a cultural scientist.
Uslu was director of Hotel Development at Corendon until 2022. She transformed outdated office buildings into new hotels and renovated monumental and vintage hotel buildings. “It feels a bit like coming home,” says Uslu about her return.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he understands Uslu’s decision. “She will be missed in the cabinet,” he writes on X. “Her tireless commitment to the cultural sector is widely appreciated. I look back with pleasure on our collaboration and our warm relationship.”
Outgoing Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education, Culture and Science) will take over Uslu’s duties until a replacement is found. For the remainder of the outgoing period, a new State Secretary will be sought, who will also come from the D66 circle.
Popular in the cultural sector
As State Secretary, Uslu was not really concerned with publicity. She was a fairly invisible minister, but she was popular in the cultural sector.
In addition to cultural policy, Uslu was also responsible for media policy. In that portfolio, she had to deal with the abuses within the program almost immediately after taking office The voice of Holland. Later, Uslu also had to address unsafe working cultures within The world goes on and at NOS Sport.
The minister attracted the most attention with the obstacles surrounding the broadcaster Ongehoord Nederland (ON!). Just this week, she finally made a decision on the NPO’s request to withdraw the provisional recognition of the new broadcaster.
Uslu ignored that request because she saw too little legal basis for such a decision. ON! may therefore continue broadcasting. Uslu did indicate several times that she found it uncomfortable as a politician to decide on the continued existence of a broadcaster.
2023-11-30 12:12:59
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