Reference Circle’s governing body (the G5) is an elected group of five member representatives who steer the network between General Assemblies. They set priorities, hold the director to account, represent the membership in strategic decisions, and carry the day-to-day responsibility of keeping a network of thirty-four independent newsrooms moving in the same direction. It is, in practice, a significant commitment, and at the Spring Meeting in Mechelen on 28 May 2026, members elected a new group to take it on.
The timing matters. The incoming G5 steps into their roles at the moment Reference Circle is formalising as a legal entity, a stichting registered in the Netherlands, and will be directly involved in defining how the new supervisory board functions in practice. This is not a routine handover. It is a group being asked to shape what the organisation becomes, not just how it runs.
The incoming G5
Elections at Mechelen used a sociocratic process, with nominations open across the eligible membership. The five elected members are:
Jan-Willem Sanders (Follow the Money NL) takes on the role of Chair, a position given formal mandate for the first time. Follow the Money is one of the Netherlands’ foremost investigative outlets, known for rigorous data-driven reporting on financial and political accountability. Jan-Willem brings both editorial credibility and the kind of organisational experience the network needs as it navigates its legal transition.
Anuška Delić represents Oštro (Slovenia), a cross-border investigative newsroom operating across the Western Balkans and Central European region. Oštro has established itself as a serious force in regional accountability journalism, and Anuška’s experience of building sustainable investigative infrastructure in a challenging media environment is directly relevant to Reference Circle’s mission.
Lukas Diko comes from the Jan Kuciak Investigative Centre (Slovakia). The ICJK was founded in the memory of Ján Kuciak, the Slovak journalist murdered in 2018, and has continued his work with rigour and courage. Lukas brings both institutional grounding and a clear sense of what independent journalism is ultimately for.
Péter Nádori joins from Direkt36 (Hungary), one of Central Europe’s most respected independent investigative newsrooms. Operating in a media environment marked by sustained pressure on press freedom, Direkt36 has maintained its editorial independence and grown its audience. Péter’s understanding of resilience, financial, editorial, and organisational, is an asset the whole network will benefit from.
Cecilia Anesi IrpiMedia (Italy) is re-elected for a second term. IrpiMedia is an Italian investigative outlet with an international reach, known for cross-border work on organised crime, financial flows, and human rights. Cecilia’s continuity on the G5 provides stability at a moment of significant structural change.
A thank you to those stepping down
The outgoing G5 leaves the network in a stronger position than they found it. Catarina Carvalho (Mensagem de Lisboa, Portugal), Dimitris Xenakis (Inside Story, Greece), Johanna Weidtmann (Reflekt, Switzerland), and Teresa O’Connell (Are We Europe) each brought distinct expertise and deep commitment to the work. The spin-off process now reaching completion was shaped in large part by their effort, as was the culture of governance that made these elections possible in the first place. We hope they remain vocal and present in the circle.
What the new G5 inherits
Reference Circle is, at its core, a collective endeavour in whether independent media organisations can build durable collective infrastructure without sacrificing the autonomy that defines them. Thirty-four newsrooms, spread across Europe, with different languages, funding models, editorial identities – choosing, year after year, to work together.
The new G5 inherits that work at a pivotal moment. With a legal entity taking shape and a supervisory board to define, the decisions made over the coming months will set the terms for how Reference Circle operates for years to come. The network is in good hands.