Norwegian Frank Gander is the new chairperson of Arena for Journalism in Europe. Frank is the senior strategic advisor for the Amedia Group in Norway and joined the board of Arena in May 2024. Frank stepped into the new role as of January 13th, 2025.
At the same time, Roelof Gunnink, finance and operations manager at Somo in the Netherlands, joins the Arena board.
The board has divided its roles as follows: Frank Gander (chairman), Daniel Simons (secretary) and Roelof Gunnink (treasurer).
“I feel both proud and privileged to take on the role of chair of the foundation,” says Frank Gander. “In an ever-changing world, it is crucial to build competence and networks that can strengthen free and independent investigative journalism across borders. Arena for Journalism in Europe represents precisely such an opportunity. I look forward to working closely with Arena’s team and the rest of the board to strengthen the foundation’s role as a hub for best practices in investigative and data journalism.”
Roelof Gunnink steps in, after founding board member and chairperson, senior science journalist Elisabetta Tola, leaves the board after six years to dedicate more time to journalism projects.
“We thank Elisabetta Tola very much for her years of support,” says Arena’s director Brigitte Alfter. “As a founding board member, she shared the vision of Arena, during these six years she has helped transform this vision into reality.”
“We are also very happy to have an experienced visionary as Frank Gander as our new chairman,” says Alfter. “We also welcome Roelof Gunnink as a valuable new board member with his insights in the functioning and finances of non-profit organizations. The experience, competencies and networks of our board members are extremely valuable, and their commitment to Arena for Journalism in Europe is the best guarantee to be able to keep developing and providing the support to in-depth, collaborative journalism in Europe, for which there is such a dire need these times.”
Elisabetta Tola leaves the board after six years, the final one as chairman. She says: “Being part of Arena’s founding team has been a privilege. I never imagined it would grow so fast and become such a key reference point for investigative journalism. When we started six years ago, the main goal was to secure the future of the Dataharvest conference. But Arena has done so much more: The team has launched invaluable initiatives—creating networks, training programs, specialized conferences, and editorial projects. At Arena, journalism isn’t just talked about, it’s done.”