Drew Sullivan is an American investigative journalist, editor, and publisher.
He is the co-founder and publisher of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative reporting centers with over 150 staff members, 55 to 70 member centers, and publishing partners across six continents. Under Sullivan's leadership, OCCRP has won over 100 investigative journalism awards and published over 1,000 investigative reports which contributed to 778 legal indictments and the recovery of more than $11 billion in illicit funds.
Before starting OCCRP, he founded the Center for Investigative Reporting in Bosnia and Herzegovina (CIN) and co-founded the Journalism Development Network (JDN). Under his leadership, OCCRP has led major global investigations, including the Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers, the Pandora Papers, and the Laundromat series.
Early life and education Sullivan holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Career Early career After completing his engineering degree, Sullivan joined Rockwell International in 1987 as an aerospace engineer. He spent six years working on the Space Shuttle project.
Following his engineering career, Sullivan worked as a professional stand-up comedian and actor, appearing in four films in Eastern Europe where he was cast as the "evil American."
Transition to journalism Sullivan entered journalism in the early 1990s as an investigative reporter for The Associated Press (AP) on its Special Assignment Team in New York, and later reported for The Tennessean in Nashville.
In 2000, Sullivan traveled to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, under a program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to train local journalists.
In 2003, he proposed the creation of a local investigative journalism organization to USAID. This led to the founding of the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) in Sarajevo in 2004. Sullivan served as its first director, editor, and board president.
In 2004, he established the Journalism Development Group (later reorganized as the non-profit Journalism Development Network) to manage funding for CIN and regional media initiatives.
While at CIN, Sullivan led a team of reporters investigating corruption by the Bosnian prime minister. Their findings contributed to the prime minister's indictment and resignation.
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) In 2006, Sullivan met Romanian journalist Paul Radu who was the co-founder of the Romanian Center for Investigative Journalism. Together, they began collaborating on cross-border investigations into regional energy traders. The investigation, titled The Power Brokers, won the inaugural Global Shining Light Award in 2007.
Recognizing the transnational nature of organized crime, Sullivan and Radu co-founded the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in 2007. Initially established in Sarajevo, OCCRP was created as a regional consortium of investigative centers across Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Initial funding included a $346,000 grant from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) in April 2007.
In 2014, Sullivan became a Future for Good fellow at the Institute for the Future (IFTF) in Palo Alto, CA.
Sullivan served as OCCRP's editor-in-chief from its inception until March 2023, after which he continued as its publisher and co-director. Under Sullivan and Radu, OCCRP expanded into a global network encompassing over 150 staff members across 30 nations, 55 to 70 member centers, and dozens of publishing partners across six continents, with primary offices in Amsterdam, Sarajevo, and Washington, D.C.
During his tenure, OCCRP developed Aleph (investigative database), an open-source investigative data platform hosting billions of entities and datasets used by thousands of journalists worldwide.
Under Sullivan's leadership, OCCRP contributed to international collaborative investigations, including: The Panama Papers (2016, in collaboration with ICIJ) The Paradise Papers (2017) The Laundromat series (including the Russian Laundromat, the Azerbaijani Laundromat, and the Troika Laundromat) The Pandora Papers (2021) The Suisse Secrets investigation into Credit Suisse (2022) Scam Empire (2025)
In addition to reporting, Sullivan served as co-executive producer for the 2022 documentary The Killing of a Journalist, detailing the 2018 murders of Slovak investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.
Legal defense To address legal harassment against journalists, Sullivan helped establish Reporters Shield in 2022 alongside the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. Announced at the International Anti-Corruption Conference with an initial $9 million contribution from USAID, Reporters Shield provides pre-publication review and legal defense funds for newsrooms facing Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
Initiatives In 2016, Sullivan established the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC) in partnership with Transparency International. It received funding from the U.S. government and other donors to support its missing of connecting investigative reporting with advocacy and legal action.
Floodlight was created by Sullivan to connect investigative reporting with filmmakers for adaptation into films and television series.
In 2025/2026, Sullivan launched Revenue Axis in partnership with Report for the World to help independent newsrooms build sustainable revenue models.
Funding debate and controversy In late 2024, an investigation published by media outlets including Mediapart, Drop Site News, Il Fatto Quotidiano, Reporters United, and German public broadcaster NDR reported on the extent of U.S. government funding received by OCCRP. The reports noted that between 2014 and 2023, the U.S. government provided roughly 46% to 52% of OCCRP's operating budget through agencies including USAID, the Department of State, and INL, totaling at least $47 million since 2007. Media partners also raised questions regarding U.S. Department of State grants designated for reporting on specific target countries such as Russia and Venezuela.
In response, Sullivan and the OCCRP board of directors stated that strict guardrails protect OCCRP's editorial independence and that donors exert no editorial control over reporting. Sullivan acknowledged that while relying on government funding is not ideal, OCCRP accepts government grants to support investigative reporting in regions where private institutional funding is unavailable. He confirmed that non-U.S. funding is utilized when covering U.S.-related topics.
Following operational budget cuts by USAID and other agencies in early 2025, OCCRP reduced its staff by approximately 22%.
Awards and honors
Global Shining Light Award (Multiple recipient: 2007, and subsequently) Daniel Pearl Award (Two-time recipient) Tom Renner Award for Crime Reporting (Two-time recipient) Online Journalism Award for Investigative Reporting (Multiple recipient) European Press Prize (Special Award, 2015) Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting (2017) – Awarded to ICIJ, OCCRP, and media partners for the Panama Papers. Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2020) – Co-recipient with Paul Radu. Missouri Honor Medal (2023) Maria Ressa Prize for Courage in Investigative Journalism (2025) Pulitzer Prize in Public Service (2025) – Finalist, for collaboration with The Boston Globe on Steward Health Care. ACFE Guardian Award (2026) – Co-recipient with Paul Radu, presented by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Overseas Press Club Award
References