BBC Northern Ireland appoints new controller

A 40-year-old senior executive at BBC Northern Ireland has been appointed as its new controller.

A 40-year-old senior executive at BBC Northern Ireland has been appointed as its new controller.

Peter Johnston will take over as controller of BBC Northern Ireland in November from Anna Carragher, who will retire after six years in the position. Mr Johnston is currently the head of broadcasting at BBC Northern Ireland.

Pat Loughrey, director of BBC Nations and Regions, said the new controller's knowledge of the Northern Ireland audience was unparalleled.

Mr Johnston was educated at Ballymena Academy. A graduate in chemical engineering at Imperial College, London, he worked for Shell International in London and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Belfast.

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In 1994, he joined BBC Northern Ireland as a research executive, rising through the ranks to become head of marketing and development. He was a former head of news media for BBC Nations and Regions before being appointed BBC Northern Ireland's head of broadcasting in 2003. - (PA)