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Jon Ola Sand to stand down as Eurovision boss
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 1 October 2019
The European Broadcasting Union has announced that Jon Ola Sand will step down as Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest after the 2020 edition of the show. He has been in the role since 2011.
“The past decade at the European Broadcasting Union has been fantastic and exciting, but it will also be good to come home”, the Norwegian exec says of his time with the Switzerland-based EBU. “I have been involved with the Eurovision Song Contest for over 20 years. First as Head Of Delegation for Norway, then as Executive Producer in Oslo in 2010 and I have been privileged to have been the captain of the ship in Geneva for the past nine years”.
“Rotterdam will be my tenth Contest as Executive Supervisor and it seems a good time to pass on the baton and take on a new challenge at [Norwegian national broadcaster] NRK”, he continues. “In my new role I will work to ensure that NRK continues to be a world-class public broadcaster and will be in the best possible shape for the future”.
The EBU’s Director Of Media, Jean Philip De Tender, adds: “Jon Ola’s commitment and calm steady hand over the last decade has been invaluable to the EBU and its members. He has overseen the growth and development of the Eurovision Song Contest over the past decade and created, together with EBU members, the most advanced entertainment show in the world helping to safeguard the longevity of this much-loved show that unites audiences from across the globe”.
As well as stepping down as Executive Supervisor, Sand will also leave his position as the EBU’s Head Of Live Events, in which he oversees the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Eurovision Young Musicians and Eurovision Choir competitions.
