Our Team
Founder
Dr Antonie Dake – Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief
Dr Antonie Dake, a former Dutch journalist and businessman, founded Fanack in 2010.
During his long career, Dr Dake was active both as a print and television journalist. In the 1960’s he worked as a correspondent in Moscow and Bonn.
In later years he worked for the Regionale Dagblad Pers in The Hague as well as for the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (‘NOS’).
Following his work as a journalist, Dr Dake founded Deltakabel Telecom B.V. and made a career in the telecommunications industry for which he received numerous awards.
In January 2025, the book Antonie Dake, a Life in Anekdotes was published (in Dutch), in which he tells his friend and journalist Nico Haasbroek about the experiences and adventures during his life in a very personal and often quite unconventional way.
Antonie Dake, een leven in anekdotes (ISBN-nummer: 9789401812511, Van Haren Publishing, the Netherlands)
Management Team
Frederik den Haan – Managing Director
Frederik den Haan is Managing Director with The Chronicle.
He is a management professional with a long career in international finance and business development.
Frederik studied International relations in the United States and completed his studies at Leyden University, the Netherlands.
With Fanack his focus is on finance, program management and investor relations.
Ronald E. Kon – Senior Consultant Fanack
Ronald E. Kon holds a (cum laude) degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies (Universities of
Amsterdam, Cairo, and Leiden).
Having served as an officer with the UNIFIL Peacekeeping Forces (1983-1984) he is a co-
laureate of the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize 1986 and the Nobel Peace Prize 1988.
From 2019 until 2024 he was the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Chronicle of the Middle East
and North Africa. Since January 1, 2025 he supports the development of The Chronicle in a
senior consultancy capacity.
He is a published author, translator and award-winning documentary photographer. He is
the cultural entrepreneurial director/owner of the Amsterdam-based Centre of Expertise
KONTEKST and a guest researcher at Leiden University.
He has lived, worked and traveled widely in the Arab world.
Michella Sfeir – Traffic Manager
Michella Sfeir is responsible for managing the publishing operations.
She is a co-founder of a leading talent agency in Lebanon and has over ten years of experience in production management.
At Fanack, she is a board member, and she is the link between the editorial and publishing teams.
Editorial Team
Erik Prins – Senior Editor
Erik Prins (MA) is a senior editor of Fanack The Chronicle. Raised in the Middle East.
He studied Arabic and Middle East Studies in the Netherlands and did internships in Kuwait.
Erik previously worked as a special correspondent at the Times of Oman. He started working as editor of The Chronicle after it was launched in 2011.
Publishing Team
Dima El Ayache – Publisher & Social Media Manager
Dima El Ayache is an architect based in Beirut, Lebanon.
She’s interested in the intersection of art, politics, and architecture.
At Fanack she assists Fanack’s Editorial Board with publishing coordination and social media publications.
Kawthar Metwalli – Website Maintenance
Kawthar Metwalli is responsible for content maintenance.
She is a graduating senior at the British University in Egypt, where she is majoring in political studies, with a concentration on gender, culture, and communication.
