Bangladeshi-born Saeed Ahmed named Associated Press’s VP of news for digital platforms

Ahmed was born in Bangladesh and raised in the United Arab Emirates

Saeed Ahmed, who was born in Bangladesh, has been named The Associated Press’s first vice president of news for digital platforms.

In a memo to staff, AP’s Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Julie Pace confirmed Saeed’s appointment on Tuesday.

“I am thrilled to announce that Saeed, an innovative and highly experienced digital news leader, is joining the AP as our first vice president of news for digital platforms. In this senior leadership role, he will lead our efforts to deepen engagement with audiences on APNews, social media and other emerging digital platforms, with the goal of bringing AP’s world class journalism to more people, in more modern ways.”

“Saeed is uniquely positioned to lead this important area of growth for AP and oversee our expanding digital team. He joins us from BBC, where he served as head of digital journalism, tasked with expanding the outlet’s reach in North America,” Pace added.

He was previously director of digital news for NPR and assistant managing editor for digital at CNN, where he led a content diversity initiative and launched the top newsletters in CNN’s portfolio: 5 Things and The Good Stuff, according to the AP.

Saeed is passionate about newsroom diversity and inclusive storytelling, according to the press release. AP expects he will bring a global perspective to his new role.

Born in Bangladesh, Saeed was raised in the United Arab Emirates and later moved to the US to attend Morehouse College.

Saeed is scheduled to start his job at AP on Feb 6 and expected to work from the agency’s New York headquarters after a teaching stint at Georgetown University.