Bangladeshi American Journalist Saeed Ahmed Named First VP of News For Digital Platforms at Associated Press
- He joins the news agency from the BBC, where he was head of digital journalism.
Bangladeshi American journalist Saeed Ahmed has been named the first vice president of news for digital platforms for the Associated Press. He previously was head of digital journalism for the BBC. In this “senior leadership role, Saeed 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,” AP said, announcing the appointment yesterday (Jan. 24).
In a tweet, Ahmed wrote he was excited to take on the role. ”Sometimes in life a dream opportunity will come around — but it won’t always come around at the opportune time. So, you have to seize it when it presents itself,” he wrote.
He begins at the news agency on Feb. 6, and will “initially commute between New York and Washington while he wraps up a teaching stint at Georgetown University,” the AP said, adding that after the semester ends, he’ll work from New York headquarters.
Before joining BBC, he was 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.’
Born in Bangladesh, and raised in the United Arab Emirates, Ahmed came to the U.S. to attend Morehouse College. He started my journalism career at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he was part of the breaking-news team that was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for its coverage of the 2005 Fulton County Courthouse shooting.