In a long-expected move, the reins of Daily Maverick’s editorial team will soon have new guiding hands. While Branko is relinquishing his day-to-day duties, he will still remain involved in other aspects of Daily Maverick media company.
Says Branko:
“It’s been an honour and privilege of my lifetime to serve the people of South Africa. The Daily Maverick journey was from the first, and it will be to the last day, a period that has truly defined me. After 15 years, it’s time for me to try other things in life, perhaps life itself too. Jillian and I worked together every day for the last seven years and I am convinced she will be the great next guardian of Daily Maverick’s incomparable legacy.”
Says Jillian:
“Branko, thank you for your guidance and inspiration – both as a mentor and a friend. I am humbled by the faith shown in me and excited by the opportunity to build upon the strong foundation laid by a true maverick of journalism. Your leadership and vision have shaped Daily Maverick into a beacon of independent and inspirational journalism in our country. We will guard this legacy jealously even as we take Daily Maverick forward, championing muckraking journalism that not only informs but serves and empowers our readers to engage critically with the issues that affect their lives. And above all we will always defend truth and remind ourselves every day that responding to this calling means our days are meant to be ‘never boring’.
“I look forward to continuing our work with the phenomenal people who make up Daily Maverick.”
Jillian began her career as a cub reporter for The Natal Witness and over the more than two decades since has held significant roles in various publications – including Independent Newspapers and Avusa – where she has honed her skills in news editing, team management and investigative journalism.
In March 2017, Jillian joined Daily Maverick as managing editor. In this role, she was instrumental in establishing editorial systems and processes, overseeing news editing and production, and managing a diverse team of journalists. Currently, as the deputy editor-in-chief at Daily Maverick since March 2022, Jillian has taken on expanded responsibilities both on the editorial floor and in the broader business.
Daily Maverick’s transformation from a startup (incorporated on 1 September 2009, it went live on 30 October that year, with a staff of six) into a current global media leader was nothing short of remarkable, especially considering the tougher conditions African publishers endure relative to other markets.
The perennially cash-strapped outfit defied these challenges and kept growing into a modern news media company, comprising:
- Daily Maverick website (reached 14.5 million unique visitors in June 2024, and more than one million registered users);
- DM168 weekly newspaper;
- 30 newsletters with 700,000 subscribers;
- Near-weekly webinars;
- The Gathering, South Africa’s premier conference attracting 1,500 visitors;
- Feature film and short documentaries;
- A book-publishing division;
- South Africa’s premier investigative journalism team;
- The biggest climate desk in southern Africa;
- A growing multimedia division;
- A multigenerational editorial team of experts and new blood;
- An army of external contributors…
- … and so much more.
Daily Maverick is free to all readers, which is made possible by contributions through its voluntary membership programme, Maverick Insider.
Branko started his career as a book publisher in his native Yugoslavia. In South Africa, he was a launch editor of Timbila (SANParks’ magazine), and launched ITWeb’s Brainstorm, Maverick and Empire magazines, before founding Daily Maverick in 2009. DM