Our Team

As a communications institution with a global news agency at its core, IPS raises the voices of the South and civil society and brings a fresh, diverse perspective on globalization and development.

IPS main objective is the production of editorial content to establish and demonstrate how events and global processes affect the marginalised and voiceless, from the perspective of the South with a focus on sustainable development and the role of civil society.

IPS builds capacity and creates awareness through targeted dissemination of information, reports, analysis and views from journalists and global experts; it counts on a network of over 350 journalists in 140 countries worldwide reporting on the varied aspects of political, socio-economic and cultural development.

Local ownership, authenticity and offering diverse perspectives are core values of the IPS reporting network. Through its capacity-building activities, IPS helps journalists and experts to understand, analyse and communicate more effectively.

Our Board

The IPS Board of Directors is comprised of distinguished journalists, academics, communications experts and specialists in international cooperation – elected by the IPS International Association’s members.

Fernando Morais, Chair 

Fernando Morais was born in Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1946, and began his journalism career in 1961. Throughout his career, he has contributed to various prominent Brazilian media outlets, such as Jornal da Tarde, Veja, Folha de S.Paulo, Visão, and TV Cultura. Additionally, he served as a visiting professor at UNICAMP — State University of Campinas from 1987 to 1988. Morais’s public service includes stints as a state deputy (1978-1986) and Secretary of Culture (1988-1991) and Education (1991-1993) for the state of São Paulo.

Morais has been involved in influential roles such as a member of the Economic and Social Council of the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil during the Dilma Rousseff administration and as part of the founding group of Telesur, based in Caracas, Venezuela. From 2016 to 2020, he served as editor of the news blog Nocaute, which he founded. Currently, Morais is working on the second volume of President Lula’s biography for Penguin/HarperCollins.

Walther Lichem, Senior Vice-Chair 

Retired Austrian Ambassador. After joining the Austrian Foreign Service in 1974 he served as Head of the Department for International Organisations, in the Cabinet of the Minister, as Consul General in the SR Slovenia (1976-1980) and as Ambassador to Chile (1980-1984) and Canada (1993-2000).

Farhana Haque Rahman, Senior Vice-Chair

Farhana Haque Rahman has more than three decades of experience as a senior official at United Nations organizations. A journalist and writer, she was the elected Director General of IPS from 2015-2019. Since 2019 she is the Executive Director of IPS North America (including IPS UN Bureau) and Senior Vice President IPS.
For over 25 years she served at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a financing institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations where she led and provided strategic leadership in media relations and advocacy. Under her guidance, the media and outreach sections harnessed knowledge to disseminate to a broad spectrum of national and international stakeholders, targeting primarily international, regional and national decision makers and influencers.

Walter García – Director General AI

Walter García has worked with IPS in different capacities since 1994. He is Uruguayan,  a Computer Systems Engineer with over 20 years of experience in planning, developing and delivering editorial products related to sustainable development. He has wide experience in project management and service management, with a focus on web site production, redesign, outreach campaigns and web strategies, leading cross-functional, cross-platform, cross-cultural international teams.

Gustau Alegret

Spain. International Journalist; Anchor and director Cuestión de Poder & Club de Prensa, NTN24. Graduated in Journalism (1997) from Pompeu Fabra University; completed the Executive Program in Strategic Communication Management from ESADE Business School (2006); and has the Executive Certificate Program in Business Administration and Professional English from Georgetown University (2008)

Javier Francisco Alvarez

Javier Alvarez graduated as an Agricultural Engineer from the Universidad Nacional del Litoral (Santa Fe) and obtained a Master of Arts (MA) in Environmental Politics and Globalization from the University of London – King’s College (London) in 2005. Further academic achievements include a post graduate course in Management of Non-Governmental Organizations at the Tinker Foundation’s supported Institution CICOAM (Asuncion, Paraguay).

 
Estrella Gutierrez

Estrella Gutiérrez has been with IPS since the 1970s, holding positions including office director in Caracas, correspondent and editor in Rome, editor at the Latin America desk and head of the Latin America and Spanish services. She has taken part in IPS coverage of global events, such as the Beijing World Conference on Women, led gender workshops for IPS staff and edited the Spanish editions of two gender glossaries published by IPS.

Originally from Spain, Estrella has lived abroad since the 1970s and considers herself Latin American. She holds a journalism degree from the Complutense University of Madrid. She lives in Caracas.

Francisca Insulza

Chile. Architect and urbanist, experienced in project management and organization of international initiatives. Skilled in research, content development, event organization, international relations, has participated in, coordinated and led numerouscollective and multidisciplinary projects and events in Europe, and North and Latin America. Vice President, Partner Relations and Strategic Growth, International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA) Canadá- Strategic definition of IEFA platforms and business lines within Executive Committee- Develop and maintain key partnerships with private and public sector organizations.

Baher Kamal

Is an Egyptian-born Spanish national and a seasoned secular journalist with over 50 years of experience. Since the late 1970s, he has specialized in a wide range of development-related issues and international politics. His journey with IPS began in Rome during the early 1980s, where he edited and coordinated all development-related stories. Later, he assumed the role of Senior Information Expert for the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership at the European Commission in Brussels. Kamal is proficient in Spanish, Arabic, English, and Italian. Kamal was Information Officer and Spokesperson for UNEP’s Mediterranean Action Plan in Athens. Permanent journalistic collaborator of IPS

María Laura Mármol

Italian – Argentine. Lawyer graduated from the University of La Plata. Sworn Translator graduated from the University of Buenos Aires. Lawyer. Postgraduate training in Governance of Financial Corporations, with the Financial Times and the Institute of Directors UK. Collaborator of IPS ASS. as a translator and legal advice since 2019

Kimmo Pietinen

Kimmo Pietinen boasts a distinguished journalism career spanning four decades, notably as CEO of Suomen Tietotoimisto (STT) from 2018 to 2020 and managing editor at Helsingin Sanomat from 2001 to 2018. Prior roles include reporting at Ilta-Sanomat and serving as editor-in-chief at Ylioppilaslehti. Holding a journalism diploma from the Sanoma School and a background in history, political science, and sociology from the University of Helsinki, Pietinen now provides occasional consultancy for STT and Helsingin Sanomat. He co-founded IPS Finland and served as its president and board member until 2009.

José Washington Rodríguez

Financial Officer and legal representative of IPS INTER PRESS SERVICE América Latina. José has worked in financial services since the early 1970s, in Mexico and Uruguay, including long-held positions for the Faculty of Engineering at the Universidad de la República in Montevideo, Uruguay, and for the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Uruguay.

Juan Verde

Spain. In the private sector, Juan Verde advises numerous companies on how to incorporate sustainability into their business strategy. Among many others, he has collaborated with Google, Cisco, SAS, American Express and Banco Santander Investments US. He has also collaborated with institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank, Harvard University, and the World Bank. In the public sector, he has worked with the governments of the United States, Lithuania, and Gibraltar, as well as numerous Latin American presidents, governors, and mayors. As an advocate for environmental causes, sustainability and the fight against climate change,collaborated with the “Climate Reality Project” initiative and currently chairs the Advanced Leadership Foundation.