About – Staff
IPI STAFF
Renan Akyavaş
Turkey Programme Coordinator
Renan Akyavaş covers violations of journalists’ rights for IPI’s website and social media channels, with a particular focus on Turkey and IPI’s #FreeTurkeyJournalists campaign. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from Central European University (CEU) and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul. Previously she worked as editor-in-chief of CEU’s Human Rights Journal and as a research assistant at Boğaziçi University while earning her bachelor’s degree.
Scott Griffen
Deputy Director
Scott Griffen joined IPI in 2012 as press freedom adviser focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean. As deputy director, he helps manage IPI’s long-term project work and press freedom advocacy, and oversees IPI’s external and internal communications. He holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Yale University and a master’s degree in global ethics from King’s College London.
Christiane Klint
Membership and Administration Manager
Christiane Klint has been working with IPI since 1993 with a primary focus on communicating with IPI’s members and acquiring new members. Christiane also provides support and planning advice on congresses, conferences and other IPI activities, as well as other administrative tasks. Christiane grew up in Mexico City and attended the German school there. She also studied at York University in Toronto and at the University of Vienna.
Josh LaPorte
NewsSpectrum Project Coordinator
Josh LaPorte is a media development specialist who coordinates the NewsSpectrum Fellowship programme that partners with minority language media across the European Union. Before joining IPI, he led the European Journalism Centre’s global press freedom and media development initiatives across Eastern Europe and the Global South. Prior to this, he held management positions at the OSCE and the Media Development Investment Fund. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
Timothy Large
IJ4EU Project Manager
Timothy Large is an award-winning journalist, editor and media development specialist who coordinates the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) cross-border journalism programme. Before joining IPI, he was Founding Editor of the Reporting Democracy cross-border journalism platform and Editor of the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence at the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. He was also Director of Reuters media development programmes, Editor-in-Chief of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Editor of the Reuters AlertNet humanitarian news service and a Reuters correspondent.
Martin Leonhartsberger
Head of Finance
Martin Leonhartsberger is a certified public accountant and has over 15 years experience in finance and administration working for companies such as GEWISTA WerbegesmbH, PROGRESS Werbe, VerlagsgmbH, Altstoff Recycling Austria AG, Manpower GmbH and more recently Philips Austria GmbH.
Martin ensures the smooth operation of all of IPI’s financial and administrative needs.
Javier Luque Martínez
Head of Digital Communications
Javier Luque Martínez coordinates advocacy and communication on IPI’s digital platforms. He holds a master’s degree in International Journalism from Cardiff University and bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology. Prior to joining IPI, he worked as a foreign correspondent in Los Angeles, covering the National Basketball Association (NBA) for several online publications and over 40 TV channels across the United States and Latin America. He also previously worked as a crime reporter for Cadena SER, the main nationwide radio station in Spain.
Riikka Maukonen
Helsingin Sanomat Foundation Journalism Fellow
Riikka Maukonen works as a fellow covering global press freedom issues. She is especially interested in the situation of Europe and East-Asia. Previously Riikka has worked in several Finnish daily newspapers for example as a sub-editor and journalist in Helsingin Sanomat. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Jyväskylä. She has studied journalism also in the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Milica Miletic
Conference and Events Manager
Milica Miletic plans, manages and develops IPI conferences, events and seminars, including the IPI World Congress, IPI’s biggest annual press freedom event. In addition to event management, she contributes extensively to event-related programme development, selection of topics and speakers, and design and marketing. Prior to joining IPI in 2009, she worked for the Media Center Belgrade and the South East Europe Network for Professionalisation of Media (SEENPM). She holds degrees in journalism and media studies from the University of Belgrade and is a member of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia.
Oliver Money-Kyrle
Head of Europe Advocacy and Programmes
Oliver Money-Kyrle is a media development expert and press freedom activist with over twenty years’ experience defending the rights of journalists in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Turkey. He joined IPI in September 2019 to head up the #FreeTurkeyJournalists campaign. Prior to that he was the Director of Projects with the International Federation of Journalists managing their global programmes and campaigns on journalists’ rights. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Bristol and a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Boston University Brussels.
Jacqui Park
Head of Network Strategy and Innovation
Jacqui Park joined IPI in 2020 to support our Congress program, communications and ways to strengthen the IPI network. Jacqui is a journalist and editor with deep experience building journalism communities around press freedom and sustainable journalism, particularly in the Asia-Pacific She is Senior Fellow for journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney where she published major research on news media innovation in December. She writes a fortnightly newsletter, The Story, on media startups and innovation in Asia Pacific.
Ravi R. Prasad
Head of Global Outreach
Ravi R. Prasad joined IPI in April 2018 and leads global advocacy initiatives. He was a journalist for over 20 years and covered conflicts in Sri Lanka, Kosovo. He has reported for The Pioneer, The Times of India, The Statesman, BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle, The Christian Science Monitor amongst others. Later he worked in the field of advocacy and communications with Oxfam, ActionAid, ICARDA in Syria, Child Helpline International and UNICEF. He holds a degree in science from Allahabad University and a Masters in Reconciliation and Peacebuilding from the University of Winchester in the UK.
Helena Soares
Development and Programmes Manager
Helena Soares works closely with the press freedom team and oversees institutional fundraising opportunities for IPI’s long-term projects in support of press freedom and freedom of expression worldwide. Before joining IPI in Vienna, she worked as a Fundraising Officer for Global Witness in London, where she assisted in the management of extensive grants portfolios, donor stewardship and building relationships with international partners. Helena holds an MA in Journalism Studies from Cardiff University.
Barbara Trionfi
Executive Director
Barbara Trionfi is Executive Director at IPI. She joined the organisation in 2000, as a press freedom adviser for the Asia-Pacific region, where she had previously studied and worked for over four years, carrying out research in the field of human rights and freedom of expression. Later, as press freedom manager, she oversaw IPI’s global press freedom monitoring and coordinated IPI’s global advocacy. With an academic background in international relations and human rights, Barbara has taught courses at Webster University, Vienna in Media Ethics, Media Literacy and Cultural Diversity and the Media.
Jamie Wiseman
Advocacy Officer
Jamie Wiseman joined IPI in 2020 as an advocacy officer, focusing on Europe. As part of the press freedom team, he researches, monitors and covers violations, assists with advocacy and campaigns and helps coordinate media freedom missions. Previously he worked as a newspaper journalist in the UK, where he grew up. He holds a bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of Liverpool and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.