The MINDS Board of Directors is one of the governing bodies of MINDS, consisting of 5 Board members. Board members are elected once a year by the MINDS General Meeting. Each member agency has one vote. This follows the principle that all MINDS members are equal. Candidates for the MINDS Board need to be part of the top management of a MINDS member agency. Their term of office is one year, a re-election for another year is the usual practice. The MINDS Board mainly acts as an advisory council to the MINDS Managing Director. It also functions as a supervisory board.

The current MINDS BOARD:

Kimmo Laaksonen

  • Chair of MINDS Board
  • CEO at STT

Caren Siebold

  • MINDS Board Member
  • Chief Product Officer at dpa

Tom Schneider

  • MINDS Board Member
  • CTO at KSDA

Pauliina Hepola

  • Deputy Chair and MINDS Board Member
  • Director, Business Development and Distribution Partnerships at Reuters

Stefano De Alessandri

  • MINDS Board Member
  • CEO and Managing Director ANSA

Board 2024       Kimmo Laaksonen CEO at STT, Finnland (Chair of MINDS Board)
      Pauliina Hepola Global Head of Channel Partnerships and Reuters Pictures at Reuters (Deputy Chair Person)
      Eric Baradat Deputy News Director at AFP (Board Member)
      Caren Siebold Chief Product Officer at dpa, Germany (Board Member)
Board 2023       Martijn Bennis CEO of ANP, The Netherlands (Chair of MINDS Board)
      Pauliina Hepola Global Head of Channel Partnerships and Reuters Pictures at Reuters (Deputy Chair Person)
      Eric Baradat Deputy News Director at AFP (Board Member)
      Katharina Schell Deputy Editor-In-Chief at APA, Austria (Board Member)
      Jan Kodera IT Director at CTK, Czech Republic (Board Member)
Board 2022       Martijn Bennis CEO of ANP, The Netherlands (Chair of MINDS Board)
      Tina Mari Flem CEO of NTB, Norway(Deputy Chair Person)
      Ian Phillips VP of International News, AP (Board Member)
      Katharina Schell Deputy Editor-In-Chief at APA, Austria (Board Member)
      Jan Kodera IT Director at CTK, Czech Republic (Board Member)
Board 2021       Malcolm Kirk President of the Canadian Press, Canada (Chair of MINDS Board)
      Andreas Gran CDO at Keystone-SDA, Switzerland (Deputy Chair Person)
      Tina Mari Flem CEO at NTB, Norway (Board Member)
      Ian Phillips VP International News at AP (Board Member)
      Meinolf Ellers CDO at dpa, Germany (Board Member)
Board 2020       Malcolm Kirk President of the Canadian Press, Canada (Chair of MINDS Board)
      Pihla Lehmusjoki Head of Media Services STT, Finland (Deputy Chair Person)
      Tina Mari Flem CEO at NTB, Norway (Board Member)
      Andreas Gran CDO at Keystone-SDA, Switzerland (Board Member)
      Meinolf Ellers CDO at dpa, Germany (Board Member)
Board 2019       Jonas Eriksson CEO & Editor-in-Chief TT Group (Chair Person)
      Tony Gillies Editor in Chief AAP – Australian Associated Press Australia (Deputy Chair Person)
      Monica Garcia Commercial and Marketing Director Lusa Portugal (Board Member)
      Pihla Lehmusjoki Head of Media Services STT – Finnish News Agency Finland (Board Member)
      Mark Westerhoff CTO and Manager Operations ANP – The Netherlands (Board Member)
Board 2018       Lars Vesterlokke – CEO & Editor in Chief / Ritzau – Ritzaus Bureau A/S Denmark       (Chair Person)
      Clemens Pig – CEO / APA – Austria Presse Agentur (Deputy Chair Person)
      Monica Garcia – Commercial and Marketing Director / LUSA – Agência de Notícias       de Portugal (Board Member)
      Mark Westerhoff -CTO and Manager Operations / ANP – Algemeen Nederlands       Persbureau (Board Member)
      Tony Gillies – Editor in Chief / AAP – Australian Associated Press (Board Member)
Board 2017       Lars Vesterlokke – CEO & Editor in Chief / Ritzau – Ritzaus Bureau A/S Denmark       (Chair Person)
      Meinolf Ellers – Chief Digital Officer / dpa – Deutsche Presse Agentur (Deputy Chair       Person)
      Bernard Maissen – Editor-in-Chief / sda – Schweizerische Depeschenagentur       (Board Member)
      Elina Ruha – Commercial Director, CFO / STT – Finnish News Agency Finland       (Board Member)
      Chris Waiting – Director, Global Strategy & Development / AP – Associated Press       UK (Board Member)
Board 2016       Bruce Davidson – CEO / AAP – Australian Associated Press (Chair Person)
      Sophie Huet – Head of Infographics-innovation Department / AFP – Agence       France-Presse (Deputy Chairperson)
      Andrew Dowsett – COO / PA – Press Association Group (Board Member)
      Meinolf Ellers – Chief Digital Officer / dpa – Deutsche Presse Agentur (Board       Member)
      Bernard Maissen – Editor-in-Chief / sda – Schweizerische Depeschenagentur       (Board Member)
Board 2015       Bruce Davidson – CEO / AAP – Australian Associated Press (Chair Person)
      Kerstin Pilhage – Director Business Development / TT Nyhetsbyrån (Deputy Chair       Person)
      Michael Lang – Editor-in-Chief / APA – Austria Presse Agentur (Board Member)
      Andrew Dowsett – COO / PA – Press Association Group (Board Member)
      Sophie Huet – Head of Infographics-innovation Department / AFP – Agence       France-Presse (Board Member)
Board 2014       Bruce Davidson – CEO / AAP – Australian Associated Press (Chair Person)
      Anita Descheemaeker – Marketing & Sales Director / Belga News Agency (Deputy       Chair Person)
      Kerstin Pilhage – Director Business Development / TT Nyhetsbyrån (Board Member)
      Michael Lang – Editor-in-Chief / APA – Austria Presse Agentur (Board Member)
      Andrew Dowsett – COO / PA – Press Association Group (Board Member)
Board 2013       Clive Marshall – CEO PA Group / PA – Press Association (Chair Person)
      Meinolf Ellers – Managing Director dpa-infocom / dpa – Deutsche Presse-Agentur       (Deputy Chair Person)
      Anita Descheemaeker – Marketing & Sales Director / Belga News Agency (Board       Member)
      Jan Kodera – Technical Director / CTK – Česká Tisková Kancelář (Board Member)
      Guido van Nispen – CEO / ANP – Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (Board       Member)
Board 2012       Clive Marshall – CEO PA Group / PA – Press Association (Chair Person)
      Bernard Maissen – Editor-in-Chief / sda – Schweizerische Depeschenagentur       (Deputy Chair Person)
      Kakuya Ogata – Deputy Managing Director Planning & Development Office Digital       Strategy Hedaquarters / Kyodo News Agency (Board Member)
      Jan Kodera – Technical Director / CTK – Česká Tisková Kancelář (Board Member)
      Meinolf Ellers – Managing Director dpa-infocom / dpa – Deutsche Presse-Agentur       (Board Member)
Board 2011       Clive Marshall – CEO PA Group / PA – Press Association (Chair Person)
      Paulo Nogueira dos Santos – Technical Director / LUSA – Agência de Notícias de       Portugal (Deputy Chair Person)
      Peter Kropsch – CEO / APA – Austria Presse Agentur (Board Member)
      Bernard Maissen – Editor-in-Chief / sda – Schweizerische Depeschenagentur       (Board Member)
      Kakuya Ogata – Deputy Managing Director Planning & Development Office Digital       Strategy Hedaquarters / Kyodo News Agency (Board Member)
Board 2010       Rob Jacobs – Director ANP Business / ANP – Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau       (Chair Person)
      Lorraine Cichowski – Senior Vice President Technology / AP – Associated Press       (Deputy Chair Person)
      Meinolf Ellers – Managing Director dpa-infocom / dpa – Deutsche Presse-Agentur       (Board Member)
      Paulo Nogueira dos Santos – Technical Director / LUSA – Agência de Notícias de       Portugal (Board Member)
      Mika Pettersson – CEO & Editor-in-Chief / STT-Lehtikuva (Board Member)
Board 2009       Peter Kropsch – CEO / APA – Austria Presse Agentur (Chair Person)
      Mika Pettersson – CEO & Editor-in-Chief / STT-Lehtikuva (Deputy Chair Person)
      Lorraine Cichowski – Senior Vice President Technology / AP – Associated Press       (Board Member)
      Meinolf Ellers – Managing Director dpa-infocom / dpa – Deutsche Presse-Agentur       (Board Member)
      Rob Jacobs – Director ANP Business / ANP – Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau       (Board Member)
Board 2008       Malthe von Trotha – CEO / dpa – Deutsche Presse-Agentur (Chair Person)
      Peter Kropsch – CEO / APA – Austria Presse Agentur (Deputy Chair Person)
      Bernard Maissen – Editor-in-Chief / sda – Schweizerische Depeschenagentur       (Board Member)
      Jan Stejskal – Strategy & Development Manager / CTK – Česká Tisková Kancelář       (Board Member)
      Helen Vogt – Director Business & Products / NTB – Norsk Telegrambyrå (Board       Member)