Publishers updating strategy for diversity and inclusion

Author Moonshot.news

Published on: 20/06/2022

Publisher organization WAN-IFRA is updating its strategy for diversity and inclusion. CEO Vincent Peyregne has announced he will present an update on the Diversity Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy to the Supervisory Board in September.

“The revised strategic plan will include a synopsis of progress toward the organisation’s original goals set in 2017 and revised targets advised by the DEI working group.”

Eleven new members, including eight women executives, have been elected to WAN-IFRA’s Supervisory Board of Directors at its General Assembly. The changes signal WAN-IFRA’s ongoing commitment to deliver on its strategic plan for Diversity and Inclusion and ensure that WAN-IFRA has the additional skillsets and experience to support future developments in different parts of the world. , the organization says in a statement.

In 2017, the strategy included measures, among other objectives, to address the gender imbalance within WAN-IFRA’s governance structures.

“Today’s announcement advances our ongoing efforts to expand the expertise and diversity of our Board and confirms that a growing number of women are taking up senior positions in the media. However, we are far from the parity we aspire to as an industry. I hope this and future elections will lead the way,” said Peyregne.

WAN-IFRA reports its activities over the first six months of 2022 includes raising Euro 750 000.  A significant part of this support was channelled to Ukrainian publishers and media professionals, the organization says. Other vital direct financial support to media in fragile states included editorial grants for African media organisations and emergency aid to Afghan colleagues.

WAN-IFRA says it  for five consecutive years has reported a positive financial result, in 2021 thanks to externally funded projects; consulting projects; participation in its programme professional conferences with more than 6000 registered participants over the first six months of 2022; growing membership base from both corporate and individual members.

The eleven new on the board are:

• Lina Attalah, Co-founder and Director, Mada Masr Media, Egypt
• Marijana Bojanic, CEO, Vijesti, Montenegro
• Juan Pablo Bojanini, President, El Heraldo de Barranquilla, Colombia
• Alia Ibrahim, Co-founder and CEO, Daraj Media, Lebanon
• Mohit Jain, Executive Director, Bennett, Coleman & Co, India
• Barbara Kaija, Editor in Chief, New Vision, Uganda
• Caroline Jerotich Kimutai, Digital Editor, Standard Group, Kenya
• Patty Michalski, Sr VP Content Strategy and Innovation, Hearst, USA
• Agnes Kalekye Nguna, COO, Radio Africa Group Limited, Kenya
• Caroline Southey, Founding Editor, The Conversation Africa, South Africa
• Lay Lim Teo, CEO, SPH Media Ltd, Singapore

At the same meetings, 14 Directors we re-elected:

• Alexander Mitteräcker, CEO, Der Standard, Austria
• Daniel Van Wylick, Administrateur,be, Belgium
• Stoyana Georgieva, Publisher/Editor In Chief, Mediapool.Ltd., InfoSpace Foundation, Bulgaria
• Juan Jaime Diaz, President, Asociación Nacional de la Prensa, Chile
• Jean-Pierre de Kerraoul, President, ENPA, France
• Thomas Lindner, CEO, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany
• Paul Peckels, CEO, Mediahuis Luxembourg – Président ALMI Luxembourg
• Sinead Boucher, CEO, Stuff, New Zealand
• Rolf Dyrnes, Chair Person, Global Alliance for Media Innovation, Norway
• Pia Rehnquist, Head of Content, Bonnier News Local, Sweden
• Guy Black, Group Deputy Chairman, Telegraph Media Group, United Kingdom
• Lisa MacLeod, Principal Publishing Lead, FT Strategies (Financial Times), United Kingdom
• Toyosi Ogunseye, Senior News Editor for News and Commissioning, BBC, United Kingdom
• Jennifer Bertetto, President and CEO, Trib Total Media, United States