One of Asia’s top reporters, Ritu Sarin, has been appointed to the board of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
Sarin, executive editor of news and investigations with The Indian Express group, has been a key contributor to many of ICIJ’s most impactful projects including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers, the Pandora Papers and, most recently, the Deforestation Inc. investigation.
“As a long term ICIJ member and one of Asia’s most respected investigative journalists she will bring deep experience and wisdom to the board,” said Rhona Murphy, chair of the ICIJ board.
“She is fiercely brave,” said ICIJ Managing Editor Fergus Shiel. “Her team takes on the most powerful people in India without ever flinching.”
Sarin’s work has focused on internal security, money laundering and corruption.
As a member of ICIJ since 1999, Sarin witnessed the organization’s transformation from a networking group to an independent global newsroom that has exposed international crime and corruption.
She worked on ICIJ’s Offshore Leaks, Swiss Leaks, the Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, Implant Files and FinCEN Files.
She also has served on the organization’s Network Committee, which sets membership standards, develops guiding principles and vets proposed members.
As a board member, Sarin will help shape ICIJ’s strategic vision and ensure its financial health.
“I can give the perspective of the membership,” said Sarin, 62, of New Delhi. “The members are the most important stakeholders, and they’re looking for participation.”
That could mean providing more training and discussion opportunities so members can feel connected to the mission even when they aren’t actively working on a project, Sarin said.
Sarin has been recognized with numerous awards including the prestigious International Press Institute award for excellence in journalism. She was the 2007 Ramnath Goenka Journalist of the Year.
She is author of The Panama Papers: The Untold India Story of the Trailblazing Global Offshore Investigation.
She replaces Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab Wilhelm, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Mexican journalist and ICIJ member who has served on the board since 2018.
“Xanic has been a highly-valued part of the ICIJ community for many years, and provided an important link between the board and ICIJ’s journalist network,” Murphy said.
“ICIJ’s members are pivotal to our success, and we’re excited that Ritu will continue to bring our members’ valued perspectives to the running of the organization.”
Sarin joins Murphy, Secretary Alexander Papachristou, Treasurer Birgit Rieck, and members Tom Steinberg, Dapo Olorunyomi, and Tony Norman on the board.