Remembering Adnan Kivan: a Legacy With a Future

Two years have passed since Adnan Kivan left us on Oct. 27. I write this as the Chief Executive Officer of the Kyiv Post, but also as someone who misses a trusted friend and mentor. Whenever we discussed why he bought the newspaper in 2018, he returned to the same principles: defending democracy, protecting free expression, and standing against totalitarianism.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. I believed in his sincerity, but I also owe him an honest admission. Having spent decades in advertising and communications, I had grown used to business leaders speaking about purpose in grand, inspiring terms. Part of me wondered whether these were simply noble ideals – larger than what any single individual or publication could realistically deliver. Only after his passing did I realize how deeply personal those words were. I eventually learned more about the experiences that shaped Adnan’s youth in Syria: his involvement in student opposition to the Assad regime, the exile that followed, and the terrible price his family paid, with 27 relatives kidnapped, tortured, or killed. That history changed how I understood our conversations. When Adnan spoke about authoritarianism, he was not debating political theory; he was speaking from direct, painful experience. When he spoke about freedom, he understood intimately what its absence cost. He saw that same spirit in Ukraine. He recognized the demand for human dignity among the Ukrainians who stood on the Maidan, insisting that their voices mattered and their future was theirs to decide. Other Topics of Interest Molodist Film Festival Marks 55 Years, Bringing International Cinema to Kyiv Oct. 24-Nov. 1 Kyiv’s 55th Molodist International Film Festival will run from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1, showcasing emerging filmmakers from around the world. Adnan had arrived in Ukraine as a student and built a remarkable life here. Through KADORR Group, he became one of the country’s most successful business leaders. Yet Ukraine was far more to him than a place of business – it was the home where he raised his family and planted his roots. Adnan Kivan (L) and CEO Luc Chénier (Photo by Kyiv Post) That success brought a quiet obligation to give back: supporting charitable initiatives, aiding Ukrainian defenders, and investing in independent media platforms, including Channel 7, USI News, and Kyiv Post. When he bought Kyiv Post in 2018, he acquired an institution with a proud history and a civic role extending far beyond a balance sheet. As he put it then: “Without freedom of the press, you cannot have a democracy.” He also saw broader potential for the paper –launching a Ukrainian-language edition, expanding into digital and video journalism, and highlighting Ukraine’s strengths and promise alongside its challenges. Sustaining a newsroom requires more than goodwill. Salaries must be met, investigative work funded, and operations maintained through peace and crisis. Adnan committed millions of dollars to acquire and sustain Kyiv Post. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he provided immediate additional support, ensuring our journalists could continue reporting reliably from the ground for readers around the world. Adnan Kivan (L) and Chief Editor Bohdan Nahaylo (Photo by Kyiv Post) Crucially, he respected editorial independence. As Bohdan Nahaylo, our chief editor since the reorganization in late 2021, recalls: “Adnan was a gentleman and a rare breed. He told me at the outset: ‘You’re a veteran journalist – I trust you. Make Kyiv Post bigger and better and make it Ukraine’s global voice. Show that Ukraine has good things to offer, not simply gloom and doom. That’s all I ask.’ After that, his support was consistent.” Honoring Adnan’s legacy means looking forward. A newspaper cannot thrive on past gratitude alone; every edition must earn the reader’s trust, and every generation of journalists needs the resources and independence to do their job. When I think of Adnan now, I wish I had asked more questions during our conversations and recognized sooner how much of his own life informed his support for Kyiv Post. I cannot revisit those moments, but we can honor the trust he placed in us by carrying the work forward with his son Ruslan Kivan, who now continues his father’s legacy with the integrity and purpose. Adnan, I miss you, my friend. So, on behalf of everyone at Kyiv Post, our millions of global readers, and everyone in Ukraine and Syria, thank you, Adnan for your dedication, support, and example. Kyiv Post CEO Luc Chénier is a well-known Canadian public speaker, entrepreneur, author and a seasoned CEO who has spent a better part of his professional career working with international brands and governments by delivering his unique sense of business & marketing skills and impacting their bottom line.