Director Pakhuis de Zwijger will not return after complaints about a culture of fear

Egbert Fransen, founder and director of Pakhuis de Zwijger, will not return to the debate center. The Supervisory Board has announced this. Fransen decided to resign in March last year, together with deputy director Hester Tiggeloven, after complaints about the working culture of (former) employees. Fransen is said to have created a culture of fear among his staff.

Fransen and Tiggeloven founded Pakhuis de Zwijger together and have both been on the board since 2021. In the Parool article from last March, Fransen was described as an ’emotional man’, which led to shouting, swearing and kicking things when he didn’t like something. “It was always a combination of screaming, kicking and hitting a cupboard, hitting his phone on the table, that sort of thing,” a former employee said at the time.

The two decided to withdraw after the article and the Supervisory Board decided to conduct an investigation into the work culture within Pakhuis de Zwijger. Until then, an interim director was appointed, who was Oeds Westerhof. After the investigation, the Supervisory Board decided that Fransen will no longer return as a director. Tiggeloven will also no longer be working, but she left employment last month. “Pakhuis de Zwijger owes the founders a great debt of gratitude for their efforts. As entrepreneurs, together with all employees, they have made Pakhuis de Zwijger flourish in 17 years,” said the Supervisory Board.

Pakhuis de Zwijger is looking for a new permanent director.