MUMBAI: Mary Hockaday has been announced as the BBC's Deputy Head of Radio News, a new post working across the whole department in the UK. At present she is BBC Radio's Editor of World Service News and Current Affairs.

The move follows the appointment of Ceri Thomas as Editor of Radio 4's Today programme. Ceri and Mary both deputised for Radio News head Stephen Mitchell, will be covering domestic and world affairs respectively.

Mitchell said, "Mary has significant editorial experience both in the field and on programmes on World Service and Radio 4. I am very confident that she will now help us to transform the way we deliver our journalism across the board in the light of the major changes that are affecting our audiences and the wider BBC. Mary has been an outstanding part of the radio news family for several years and I am delighted to be able to appoint her to this important new post."

Part of Mary's new role will be to further enhance coverage of foreign affairs across the department. She said, "I am really looking forward to working with colleagues right across BBC Radio News, to help deliver traditional and modern news services to big and varied audiences and to help bring closer together the editorial strength and creativity of staff from across domestic and World Service news departments."

Hockaday begins her new role at the end of the month. BBC Radio News will now seek to appoint a new editor of World Service News and Current Affairs, as well as a Radio newsgathering editor, to replace Ceri Thomas.