Richard Colebourn Appointed BBC News Europe Director

Richard Colebourn has been appointed Regional Director for Europe for BBC News and the BBC World Service, taking on overall responsibility for editorial and operational leadership across Europe and Central Asia.

In the role, Colebourn becomes the BBC's most senior representative in the region, overseeing services including BBC News Russian, BBC News Ukrainian and other European language operations. He will also lead the rollout of new language services following the launch of BBC News Polska in June 2025.

Fiona Crack, Interim Global Director of BBC News, said: "I'm thrilled to appoint Richard to lead our teams across Europe as they deliver reliable, trusted news to over 40 million people throughout the region. We have plans to expand our reach across Europe by accelerating the digital transformation in line with audience needs and by using AI responsibly to serve more people in more languages."

Colebourn said: "It's a real privilege to take on the role at a time when our exceptional teams are stepping up in the fight against disinformation, producing high quality journalism and finding innovative ways to combat blocking to reach audiences. The region is changing quickly and our ability to adapt to our audiences’ changing needs will be crucial to our success."

He has been serving as Interim Regional Director for Europe over the past year. Prior to that, he spent six years as Europe Bureaux Editor, overseeing coverage of major events including Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Earlier in his career, he served as Middle East Bureaux Editor based in Jerusalem and reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Lebanon.

Colebourn has led teams recognised with Emmy, RTS and BAFTA awards since joining the BBC as a news trainee and later working as a Newsnight producer.

The appointment comes as part of the BBC’s broader international restructuring, which divides its global operations into six regions. The corporation has also named Juliet Njeri as Regional Director for Africa, with regional leaders tasked with growing audiences and strengthening accountability across their respective markets.

www.bbc.co.uk