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On August 1 she will succeed Philippe Massonnet, who has decided to give up his duties as Global News Director at the end of July, after having served in that position since May 2009. He said:  “This is entirely my own decision, and it is due to private considerations”.

Emmanuel Hoog said: “Philippe Massonnet has been a formidable Global News Director – passionate, inventive and committed. I hail his work done in the service of the agency, its influence and its development.”

With a degree in economics and another from the CFJ (journalists’ training center), Michèle Léridon is a highly experienced journalist with a complete knowledge of the agency and of the challenges awaiting it. She joined AFP in 1981, after working in the regional daily press.

Her initial experience at the agency came on the France desk, and then in the media section, before she created the « city-suburbs » section in the police and justice service. She then became Abidjan bureau deputy director and then deputy head of the social affairs service before serving as deputy editor-in-chief for Europe-Africa. From 2004 to 2006, Michèle Léridon headed the social affairs service. Since 2009, she has been Rome bureau chief, after serving as editorial director from 2006 to 2009.

« Michèle Léridon is a great news professional. I know she will strive to apply all of her talents to making the current projects a success, and in particular the development of video, the launch of AFP Forum, strengthening of our sports and cultural offerings, and constantly reinforcing our editorial standards, which are based on the values of rigor and independence,” Emmanuel Hoog added.

About AFP
AFP is a global news agency delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology. With 2,260 journalists spread across almost every country, AFP covers the world 24 hours a day in six languages. AFP delivers the news in video, text, photos, multimedia and graphics to a wide range of customers including newspapers and magazines, radio and TV channels, web sites and portals, mobile operators, corporate clients as well as public institutions.