Ex-diplomat
to head BBC Birmingham press team
Andy
Pike succeeds Simon Channon as Press & PR Manager at BBC Birmingham
from the beginning of December.
He
will lead the promotion of BBC Birmingham output, manage the press
and PR team in Birmingham and Norwich, and take strategic responsibility
for all BBC English Regions press and PR issues.
Andy,
38, joins the BBC after a career in the Diplomatic Service, specialising
in press work in recent years.
His
most recent appointment was as Head of Press and Public Affairs
at the British Embassy in Dublin, where he was in charge of a number
of high profile issues; leading on the PR for the Northern Ireland
Peace Process for the British Government in Ireland and acting as
spokesman for the Embassy and the British Ambassador.
He
also dealt with the Irish and international press on other matters
affecting relations between Ireland and the UK, contentious and
happy.
His
previous appointments in the Diplomatic Service have taken him to
nine different countries as diverse as Yemen and Poland.
Andy
Pike said: "I'm delighted to be joining a great team at the
BBC in Birmingham at a time when its programming output is strong
and when the BBC leads the field in managing the changes affecting
the future of the broadcast industry - like development of its new
interactive services.
"I'm
very much looking forward to getting to know journalists in the
area and will work hard to build on the strong press service Simon
and his colleagues have provided."
Channon,
formerly Head of Press & PR for BBC Resources and Chief Press
Officer at LWT, is retiring after 35 years in the business.
He
said: "The BBC is playing an increasingly important role in
Birmingham's daily life.
"With
the forthcoming move to The Mailbox, Andy is joining the BBC at
a pivotal time in our relationship with the city and I wish him
every success."
Tim
Brassell, Head of Press and PR for the BBC's Nations and Regions,
said: "Andy has proved himself in one of the toughest political
areas around and we believe under his leadership that the profile
of the BBC across the Midlands and East is in the best possible
hands."
|
