Fatima Farag, first Arab woman to join WAN-IFRA's board

CAIRO – 4 July 2018: The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) announced Wednesday appointing Fatima Farag, founder and director of Welad El-Balad Media Services LTD., to the association’s board of directors and executive committee.

By winning a vote that took place in June 2018, Farag became the first Arab woman to ever join WAN-IFRA’s board of directors and the executive committee.

Melanie Walker, director of media development and WAN-IFRA’s Women in News program, said Farag was chosen due to her excellence in the Women in News program, which she leads in the MENA region; Farag communicated with media outlets all over the region in order to amend the gap between the two genders in leadership.

“It was an honor to work closely with Fatima Farag over the past two years on the Women in News program, thanks to her vast expertise in the media field in Egypt and her solid ethics that create valuable visions; she adds a great variety to WAN-IFRA board of directors," Walker added.

It is pertinent to mention that Wan-Ifra announced winners of the International Color Quality Club 2018–2020 contest (ICQC) on Wednesday.

“By their successful participation in the competition, the companies have demonstrated that they can supply printing in outstanding quality and offer readers and advertisers high-quality products,” said Manfred Werfel, deputy CEO of Wan-Ifra.

“The Color Quality Club is more than a technical printing competition, as it offers participating companies the additional possibility to benchmark their printing quality against recognized international standards and improve it,” he added.

Welad El-Balad Media Services LTD., is a company dedicated to community media development and media excellence in Egypt.

Farag was also the founding chief editor of the English Edition of Al Masry Al Youm. Before 2009, she divided her professional time between the newsroom and journalism training and education.

She was Assistant Chief Editor, responsible for the features and life-style sections and senior staff reporter at Al-Ahram Weekly, before which she worked for the Regional Bureau of the Washington Post.

As an educator she has held the position of Training Consultant for the Heikal Foundation for Arab Journalism and has also consulted and trained for various organizations including the European Union, the British Council, Free Voice and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Farag began her career specializing in development issues with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and as a reporter and newspaper editor she has dedicated much of her work to the coverage of social issues.

She is a graduate of the American University in Cairo, from which she also received a Masters degree in political science.