World Press Photo Supervisory Board Chairman Pieter Broertjes and Michiel Munneke announced today that Munneke will leave his position as managing director per 1 November 2014. Munneke started his career at World Press Photo in 1994 as an intern and was hired one year later as a project manager in the exhibitions department. In 1997, he became head of the contest and education departments, where he managed the Joop Swart Masterclass and laid the groundwork for the organization’s current educational programs by initiating several workshops for local journalists in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He was then appointed Deputy Managing Director in 1999 and Managing Director in 2001.
The supervisory board has great respect for the way Munneke developed the organization into a strong international brand that enjoys high esteems with both the photographic community as well as the public. Broertjes said, “Under Munneke’s leadership, the organization has grown: revenue and staff has doubled, the yearly photo contest has been reformed, a multimedia contest has been added, and the educational programs are now an essential part of the yearly schedule. Munneke is leaving behind a healthy organization that is ready for the future.” Munneke said, “I have spent my whole working life dedicated to this wonderful foundation and the last 12 years as its Director. I feel honoured to have led this great Dutch initiative for more than a decade. Over the past year, we have developed a new strategy and now it’s time for me to pass the torch and make my next step.”
World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon.
