Former CCI Europe sales director Kim Svendsen has joined WAN-Ifra to lead efforts to grow and engage the organisation’s global membership.

Best known for his roles with Danish newspaper systems vendor CCI Europe – which has SPH Media and West Australian Newspapers as clients – he moved up to production and communications roles within parent Stibo DX and as marketing vice president, director of its Stibo Accelerator initiative, and then group chief innovation officer.

As membership director at WAN-Ifra, he will bring “passion, knowledge and experience” to a crucial role, the organisation says.

Svendsen (pictured at an earlier WAN-Ifra event) says he is thrilled with the appointment: “Over my 20-year journey in media technology and transformation, this role feels like the natural next step – a chance to build on relationships and insights I’ve collected across the industry and put my passion for the news media to use in this central role.”

On LinkedIn, he says the role’s “wonderful opportunity” is all about being stronger together. “If there is one thing I absolutely love, it’s grabbing onto ideas born out of inspiring conversations and turning them into actual, tangible initiatives. The road from idea to action is often much shorter than we think, and taking this role as a full-time value-creator for our members is a dream come true for me.” Retirement had been “compulsory”, he said.

WAN-Ifra says Svendsen will focus on strengthening relationships with existing members, expanding the membership base, and enhancing engagement strategies to support the evolving needs of news publishers, digital media companies, and industry stakeholders.

Chief executive Vincent Peyregne says his extensive experience and deep industry knowledge will be instrumental in strengthening membership offerings and supporting its mission to foster international cooperation and promote press freedom worldwide.