Saaed Ahmed, who was one of two executives to join BBC News in October 2022, has departed the news organization.
Ahmed was tasked with overseeing the company’s digital news content for U.S. audiences as BBC News head of U.S. digital journalism.
In an email seen by Deadline, BBC’s digital executive news editor, Stuart Miller, said that Ahmed decided to leave his role to take up a senior position with an unnamed news organization.
According to a LinkedIn posting, Ahmed revealed that he is also teaching an intro to journalism course at Georgetown University.
The BBC is looking to strengthen its presence within the U.S. and appointed Ahmed and former NBCU executive Jen Brown in new leadership positions to enable it to penetrate the market even further.
In a statement, BBC News digital director Naja Nielsen said, “The U.S. is a highly innovative and exciting market for digital journalism in text, video, and audio.” She added, “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 US. 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 favour.”
Ahmed joined the BBC from NPR, where he most recently served as digital news director, overseeing the organization’s digital presence across its website, social, streaming platforms, newsletters, and smart speakers. Before that, he was the assistant managing editor at CNN Digital.Ahmed’s work has won numerous awards, including an Emmy, Webbys, and a Peabody.