Tihomir Ladišić dismissed from helm of N1 Croatia
New owner Alpac Capital removes directors of N1 regional network in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia in less than 24 hours.
New owner Alpac Capital removes directors of N1 regional network in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia in less than 24 hours.
Long-time director of N1 Croatia, Tihomir Ladišić, has been dismissed from his position, Novi list has learned. The dismissal is part of broad personnel changes initiated by the new owner, Portuguese investment fund Alpac Capital, across the N1 regional network.
According to journalist Tihana Tomičić, the changes began in Serbia, where on Monday Pedro Vargas Santos David, Alpac Capital's top man, was officially registered as director of media companies Adria News Network (ANN). At the same time, the previous directors of N1, Nova, Nova.rs, Radar, and Danas were removed.
In Serbia, Mihailo Jovićević was removed from Nova and Radar, Aleksandra Mitić from Danas, Brent Sadler from N1 and Nova S, and Janez Živko from TV Nova S. A day later, the changes spread to Croatia and Slovenia, where N1 leadership was also replaced.
According to unofficial information from Television Slovenia, N1 Slovenia director Katja Šeruga has also been dismissed. Thus, in less than 24 hours, the new investor began a broad reshuffling of the management structures of the regional media network, which includes 14 news outlets in Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Croatia.
Alpac Capital and Summer Parent, the ultimate shareholder of United Group, reached an agreement at the end of May on the sale of ANN. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory approvals, including consent from Luxembourg, where ANN is headquartered.
Serbian portal Cenzolovka reported on Friday that Alpac Capital wants to take over management of United Group's media as soon as possible, which would also include personnel changes in newsrooms. The sale of N1 has been accompanied from the start by questions about potential impact on editorial independence.
The Association of Slovenian Journalists (DNS) is closely monitoring the developments. In a statement, they highlighted that the lack of transparency in the sale process and the political connections of those involved raise questions about the true motives of the new owners.
"Information about the political connections of the Alpac Capital fund and reports that the new owners plan significant cuts or even elimination of journalist positions should worry anyone who cares about the existence of democracy. Even more so at a time when media in Slovenia are targets of political pressure and threats of reduced funding," DNS said.
After such swift and extensive personnel changes, special attention will be focused on the new owners' next moves and any changes within the newsrooms themselves.
