BBC Names New Leadership for North American Digital Team

The BBC has expanded its digital team in North America with two new hires, including NBCUniversal alum Jen Brown as senior VP of programming and content strategy for global digital news and streaming.

In the newly created role, Brown will be responsible for defining the wider content strategy for the BBC’s news and factual digital platforms outside of the U.K. She will be based in New York and will report directly to Jennie Baird, executive VP and managing director of global digital news and streaming.

Brown is a 16-year veteran of NBCUniversal, where she most recently helped launch its streaming service Peacock. As senior VP of program planning and content partnerships, she led planning across originals, acquisitions, topical content and FAST channels. She won an Emmy for Peacock’s coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also served as senior VP of strategic initiatives at NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises and spent over ten years at NBC News.

The BBC has also hired NPR alum Saeed Ahmed as head of digital journalism in the U.S. for BBC News. He will oversee the company’s digital news content aimed at U.S. audiences. Based in Washington, D.C., he will report to Stuart Miller, digital executive news editor.

Ahmed most recently served as director of digital news at NPR. He oversaw the organization’s digital presence across its website, social, streaming platforms, newsletters and smart speakers. Prior to that, he was the assistant managing editor at CNN Digital.

The two newly created roles will work with teams across the organization to enhance the BBC’s presence in the United States.

Naja Nielsen, digital director for BBC News, said, “The U.S. is a highly innovative and exciting market for digital journalism in text, video and audio. Our multimedia offer is already now used by 50 million consumers weekly, and we know we are more trusted than any other news brand in the U.S. In a highly polarized time, we believe we have a very compelling and strong offer and that many more Americans would love to know and consume our journalism, known for being impartial, accurate and transparent, always in the pursuit of truth, reporting without fear or favor. I know Jen Brown and Saeed Ahmed are just the team to spearhead and deliver the growth of BBC News in the U.S.”

“Jen’s impressive career, including tenures at NBCUniversal and Peacock, has made her adept at bridging the gap between the editorial and business side of digital news,” said Baird. “Her passion lies in building effective cross-functional teams and leading them to successfully reach consumers on new platforms and drive revenue, making her a critical addition to our growing team as BBC Studios continues to expand our worldwide digital news footprint outside of the U.K.”

Nielsen added, “Having built his career in tangent with the evolution and proliferation of digital news, Saeed has consistently pioneered new ways of engaging audiences and bringing stories to life across a range of digital platforms. His aptitude for understanding what people want and developing compelling formats to address their needs makes him the ideal person to drive forward our digital journalism strategy in the U.S.”

Brown said, “BBC’s unique brand of impartial journalism is more relevant and necessary than ever. I’m thrilled to help lead the commercial strategy outside of the UK to support our mission and enable the expansion of BBC’s journalism to reach new audiences.”