Mathew, who will begin his two-year term on July 1, is the first Indian to hold the presidency of the global organisation of the world's press.
He will succeed Gavin O'Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of Independent News & Media plc, who has been president since 2004 and notably oversaw the 2009 merger of the World Association of Newspapers with IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry.
Mathew was elected on Friday by the WAN-IFRA General Assembly of Members, held during the WAN-IFRA Board meeting in Dublin.
“I have served on the board and the Executive Council for a period of four years. I have also been an active participant in many WAN-IFRA events for over two decades. WAN-IFRA’s wonderful work has contributed much, especially when the industry is going through a critical period,” he said.
“There are opportunities and challenges. We know the global trend in the industry. However, the encouraging sign in the Asian market at the moment is different. So, one needs to address issues separately. With the committed team of WAN-IFRA, we should be able to handle the different challenging situations in a positive manner,” he said.
Tomas Brunegård, CEO of the Stampen Group in Sweden, was elected First Vice President. He is also Chairman of the Board of the WAN-IFRA Press Freedom Development Fund, which oversees the press freedom and media development work of the organisation.
WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers.
Its core mission is to defend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial integrity and the development of prosperous businesses.