Briefly News’ Maryn Blignaut Joins Esteemed WAN-IFRA WIN Global Leadership Accelerator
We are incredibly proud to announce that our Editor-in-Chief, Maryn Blignaut, participated in the WAN-IFRA WIN Global Leadership Accelerator and BRAVE Project Class of 2025;a prestigious fellowship recognizing emerging leaders in media from around the world.
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The programme brought together 20 women media leaders from across the world. Maryn joined a cohort representing vastly different regions, including Lesotho, Afghanistan, Nigeria, India and Fiji. The diversity of perspectives within the group highlighted both the shared challenges facing newsrooms worldwide and the importance of inclusive, globally informed leadership.
About the Global Leadership Accelerator & BRAVE Project
The WIN Global Leadership Accelerator is a high-impact leadership development programme designed for mid-level newsroom managers, journalists and editors from emerging, transitional, and fragile states. The initiative, part of the broader Women in News (WIN) network under WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers), aims to empower women in media by strengthening leadership and newsroom management skills, fostering powerful networks, and helping participants chart purposeful careers. Since its inception in 2015, more than 1,500 journalists and editors have benefitted from the Accelerator’s transformative curriculum and coaching, with roughly 60% of graduates reporting career progression such as promotions or strategic moves within just three months of completing the programme.
In 2025, this programme was made possible through the support of the BRAVE Project, a global initiative led by BBC Media Action and co-funded by the European Union, dedicated to strengthening independent, public-interest media globally. BRAVE works with partners including WAN-IFRA, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and other media development organisations to build resilience in media ecosystems and support inclusive journalism in the face of political, financial, and misinformation challenges.
What the Programme Focused On
Over several months, the accelerator delivered a structured series of certified media management and leadership modules, presented by industry leaders from across multiple countries. These sessions combined expert-led learning with collaborative group work, allowing participants to apply concepts in real-world newsroom contexts.
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Key focus areas included:
- AI in the newsroom, with practical discussions on how emerging technologies are reshaping editorial workflows and decision-making
- Building inclusive organisations, with an emphasis on leadership, culture and representation
- Finance for non-finance managers, equipping editorial leaders with stronger commercial and budgetary understanding
- Understanding generational dynamics, both within newsrooms and across evolving audience and reader bases
In addition to the group modules, participants took part in one-on-one coaching sessions that provided space to reflect on current roles, map out career roadmaps, and openly share challenges and ideas in a trusted environment.
These insights were echoed by trainers and coaches, who praised the cohort’s bold, collaborative and principled leadership. The programme reinforced that real growth happens through shared learning and support beyond the classroom.
The graduates were reminded that the support of the WIN and BRAVE community continues well beyond the programme’s formal close to a global network committed to lifelong learning and mutual advancement.
Her participation and success in this programme highlights:
- Our newsroom’s dedication to leadership development at the highest levels.
- Our commitment to gender equality and representation in media leadership globally.
- The growing influence of Briefly News in international media circles.
We congratulate Maryn and all her fellow graduates on this monumental achievement. Their stories inspire us, and their leadership will shape the future of journalism around the world.
Source: Briefly News
