Deborah Turness became CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs in September 2022.
She was previously CEO of ITN, where she led the organisation’s post-Covid strategy for growth in its three major business areas.
Before this, Deborah became the first president of NBC News International in 2017, where she was responsible for overseeing its operations including editorial, production and commercial. She joined NBC News in 2013, becoming the first woman in US history to be president of a network news division. During Deborah’s tenure the three major NBC news programmes regained their position as top ratings performers in the competitive US news market.
Prior to joining NBC News, Deborah was editor of ITV News, where she was their first female editor and the youngest ever editor of ITV News. During her tenure, the organisation won an Emmy and three consecutive BAFTA awards, as well as several RTS Programme of the Year awards.
Deborah first joined ITN as a freelancer. Over the following years, she worked across the foreign, home and planning desks before joining the North of England bureau. In 1997, she played a key role in launching 5 News before moving to Channel 4 as editor of its breakfast programme, RI:SE.
