Change at the top of Impressum
The Swiss Journalists' Association is getting new leadership: Michael Burkard and Etienne Coquoz will take over as executive directors of Impressum in April 2025. They succeed Urs Thalmann, who is moving on to a new role after 15 years at the helm of the association.
Urs Thalmann is leaving Impressum at the end of March 2025 to take over the management of Transparency International Switzerland. Thalmann has worked for the professional association for a total of 20 years, 15 of which as Managing Director. His succession will be arranged internally: The current Central Secretaries Michael Burkard and Etienne Coquoz will lead the Executive Board together in future. The Board of Directors has already confirmed their appointment, and the official election by the Assembly of Delegates is to take place on March 21, 2025.
According to the co-presidents of Impressum, Caroline Gebhard and Fabienne Sennhauser, the internal succession solution offers stability in a challenging phase for the industry. The new dual leadership should also meet the growing demands. As a further measure, the association is planning to slightly increase the administrative size of the team. An additional 60% position has already been advertised.
The change at the top of the association has prompted the central board to review Impressum's strategic direction and use of resources. Representation on various committees in which Impressum represents the interests of journalists will also be reorganized in the coming months.
