Anyone who talks to Martijn notices it immediately: he enjoys his work. For more than twenty years, he has been a mainstay at Lexerta as editorial chief. What started as a graduation assignment at predecessor RDMG in Leeuwarden grew into a role in which he, together with the team, translates complex laws and regulations into clear, usable information on a daily basis. “Making laws and regulations accessible is never a one-time task,” says Martijn. “It is a continuous process. And that is exactly what makes the work interesting.”
The roots of Lexerta
In the early days, legislation and regulations were still kept on paper: cards in binders that had to be replaced with every amendment, time-consuming and prone to errors. Then came the first digitization, with legislation being distributed on diskettes.
Martijn started during the period when the CD-ROM was introduced. He helped convert laws to HTML, manually added links, and thus created a digital database that was much easier to search. “With CD-ROMs, we could offer much more information at once,” he recalls. “At the time, that felt like a huge step forward. You could immediately see how much faster and more organized it became for users.”
Interest grew rapidly. Together with a colleague, Martijn developed a strategy to support that growth: “We went to trade fairs, approached organizations through the Chamber of Commerce, and held many discussions. The need for an up-to-date and user-friendly database was clearly there.”
The editorial team as the linchpin of quality and user-friendliness
As the demand for accessible and tailored information grew, the editorial team developed into the substantive link between complex regulations and practical applicability. “We developed registers, summaries, and added editorial explanations to legislative changes,” Martijn explains. “Our task is not only to ensure that everything is substantively correct, but above all that customers understand what it means for them. What does this change mean for my organization? That is the translation we make in the editorial team.”
This editorial depth comes together in Pharius, Lexerta’s (Q)HSE compliance tool. “Pharius is more than a database,” says Martijn. “Our summaries condense legal articles into plain language. This ‘core of the requirement’ zooms in on the essence of an obligation: what does an organization really need to do? And with check questions, we quickly make it clear whether action is required.”
Pharius: technology and editorial depth
Pharius is constantly innovating and AI is increasingly providing support. Still, the human perspective remains indispensable. “Everything we publish is carefully checked,” emphasizes Martijn. “Carefulness comes first. The information must be reliable, complete, and usable. We make no concessions on that.”
A valuable service that Lexerta offers is the addition of company-specific documents in Pharius. “The editorial team ensures that permits and other customer-specific documents are included. If desired, these can be linked to the relevant laws and regulations,” he says. “This way, the customer gets a complete and clear overview in one environment, with substantive explanation where necessary.”
This will be further expanded in the future. “Soon, customers will also be able to create their own check questions based on their own documents. This will make it easier for them to check whether they meet all obligations.”
Looking Ahead with Pleasure
What drives Martijn is constant development. “The questions from users are changing. Twenty years ago, people wanted to know what was changing. Later they asked: what is relevant for me? Nowadays, they mostly want to know: what does this actually mean for my organization? That development keeps our work interesting.”
He is clear about the future: “The role of the editorial team will become more international. More and more legislation comes from Europe, and our clients are often active across borders. We must and want to keep up with that.”
And that long journey from Friesland to Deventer? “I do it with pleasure,” says Martijn. “You can enjoy your work, but it’s the organization that makes the difference. And you feel that at Lexerta. It’s a close-knit team with a shared drive. That’s why I’m happy to come to the office.” No wonder we see him walk in every week with a smile, despite the long distance.
