Co-CEO, Lead for Media and Advocacy
Areas of Expertise
- Accountability and Investigative Journalism
- Media Advocacy and Press Freedom
- Human Rights and Rule of Law
- Strategic Media Leadership
- Gender Equality in Media
Rana Sabbagh is an award-winning journalist and pioneering media leader with a career spanning over 40 years in the MENA region. A champion of free speech, human rights, and accountability journalism, she has dedicated her career to promoting gender equality, press freedom, and the rule of law. Before co-founding Sabbagh Consultancy in October 2024, Rana served as the MENA Senior Editor at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and co-founded Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), the first organization in the Arab world dedicated to investigative reporting. As the first female chief editor of a daily newspaper in the Levant, The Jordan Times, Rana led a pro-reform editorial stance from 1999 to 2002. She has also held senior roles with Reuters International News Agency and the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN).
Sabbagh Consulting comes up with results that are actually implementable. That is their strength compared to other consulting companies.
Education and Credentials
Rana holds an Executive Master’s in Positive Leadership and Strategy from IE University in Madrid, Spain, along with a B.A. in Communication Arts from Beirut University College (now Lebanese American University).
Key Professional Experience
2020 – 2024: Senior Editor, OCCRP
As MENA Senior Editor, Rana led cross-border investigations, training journalists, and establishing regional investigative units, such as Daraj.com and Siraj. Her work strengthened OCCRP’s regional presence and advanced the standards of investigative journalism across the Arab world.
2006 – 2019: Founding Executive Director, ARIJ
Under her leadership, ARIJ transformed investigative journalism in the Arab world by training journalists across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, and Iraq. Rana organized extensive workshops and conferences, promoting accountability and press freedom through partnerships and international collaboration.
1999 – 2002: Chief Editor, The Jordan Times
As the first woman in the region to lead an Arab political daily, Rana introduced a strong pro-reform stance, advancing topics on gender equality, rule of law, and government accountability, often in opposition to governmental pressure.
1996-1997 Gulf Correspondent/Sub-Editor October 1996 to July 1997
Reuters News Agency – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Operating from main Gulf news room in Dubai covering socio-economic and political developments in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran and Yemen. Work also involved handling copy in Arabic from Gulf news agencies and stringers and breaking major news on major oil and petro-chemical deals.
1988 – 1996 Deputy Bureau Chief
Reuters News Agency- Amman, Jordan.
Ran the Amman office for an accumulative period of over a year. Covered political, economic and social developments as well as human rights issues. Broke and provided on the spot coverage of 1989 bread riots and the subsequent march towards democracy, the impact of the 1990 Gulf crisis on Jordan and the launch and end of the Jordanian-Israeli peace talks.
Served on temporary assignments to Damascus, Beirut, Cairo, Dubai, Sanaa and Washington and worked for three months at Reuters Middle East and Africa news desk in Nicosia covering 50 countries.
Academic and Civic Engagement
- Board Member, Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
- Committee Member, UNESCO Freedom of Media Prize
- Lecturer on Media and Diplomacy, Institute of Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jordan
Awards and Recognition
- Knight Trailblazer Award (ICFJ, 2024)
- Raif Badawi Award for Courageous Journalism (2018)
- Queen Noor Award for Local Cultural Coverage
Education
- Executive Master’s in Positive Leadership and Strategy, IE University, Madrid
- B.A. in Communication Arts (Journalism and Drama), Beirut University College (now Lebanese American University)
Rana’s commitment to media freedom and journalistic excellence continues to inspire independent media initiatives and strengthen the standards of journalism throughout the Arab world.
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