AFP names Philippe Massonnet as global news director

Agence France-Presse on Monday named Philippe Massonnet as its new global news director with a mission to oversee the international news agency's evolution to a fully integrated multimedia operation. Massonnet, a former Beijing bureau chief and China specialist, takes over the post from Denis Hiault at the head of a revamped news management team. A new post of deputy global news director will be filled by Juliette Hollier-Larousse, AFP's current international multimedia editor.

Massonnet has been the agency's Europe-Africa regional director since December, 2008. Pierre Lesourd, the agency's London bureau chief, will take up this role. Chairman and chief executive, Pierre Louette, said the new team would oversee "reform in the news production process, in all its disciplines, to reinforce AFP's roots as a leader in digital information, in six languages, worldwide." AFP traces its history back to 1835 making it the world's oldest news agency. Today it has a network of 2,900 journalists in 165 countries around the world and files text, photos, television, video and graphics to thousands of clients around the world.