Jon Williams is new RTÉ news and current affairs MD

Jon Williams, a senior editor at ABC News in New York with extensive experience in world news, has been appointed managing director of news and current affairs at RTÉ.

Mr Williams, who is from Liverpool, has been managing editor of international news at ABC since March 2013 and led its reporting of the war in Ukraine, the European refugee crisis and the coverage of the Isis terrorist attacks in Europe.

Prior to the ABC role, he served as the BBC’s world news editor, managing a staff of 200 people in 30 different countries.

Earlier in his BBC career, he was UK news editor during the 2005 general election and the 7/7 terror attacks in London, and before that he was deputy editor of the BBC's Six O'Clock News bulletin.

Interest

RTÉ director-general Dee Forbes confirmed that the position had attracted strong national and international interest.

“ Jon’s CV is exceptional: a proven and award-winning track record in international affairs is coupled with that key domestic experience, which is so important in the Irish context,” Ms Forbes said.

Mr Willliams replaces Kevin Bakhurst, who left RTÉ at the end of October to join British communications regulator Ofcom after four years at Montrose. Mr Bakhurst, who joined RTÉ from the BBC, also served as deputy director-general for part of that time and was a candidate for director-general earlier this year.

Mr Williams, whose news output has won a Bafta and two Emmys, said he “could not be more excited to join RTÉ” and that it was “the privilege of a lifetime” to be asked to lead its team of journalists.

Scouser

“From Brexit to the many domestic challenges facing the country, there’s never been a more important time for RTÉ, as the national media service, to lead the conversation,” he said in a statement released by RTÉ.

“I can’t wait to get started.”

He will move to Dublin and take up the RTÉ role in January. Hilary McGouran, RTÉ’s managing editor of television news, will oversee the news and current affairs division in the interim.

On his Twitter bio, Mr Williams describes himself as a “runner, traveller, Scouser”. He is a board member of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, non-profit organisation that promotes press freedom worldwide.