CNN International has promoted Ellana Lee to Vice President of the network's operations in Asia. Lee's current role is Managing Editor, Asia Pacific. More details in the press release below.

Press Release: CNN announced that Ellana Lee is moving into a new position at the network’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. Currently Managing Editor, her role as Vice President of Asia will expand her responsibilities to encompass all of CNN’s operations and award-winning on-air and online news and feature programming from across the Asia Pacific region.

“I’m thrilled and honored to be taking on this new position as Vice President. Asia Pacific is a remarkable and dynamic region and I look forward to working alongside our fantastic team of talented producers and correspondents to further strengthen our Asian editorial coverage for millions of viewers worldwide,” she said.

Through her managerial responsibility for CNN’s correspondents and newsgathering teams across nine Asia Pacific editorial operations, she has overseen a remarkable six months of coverage since the turn of the year, from the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami in March, ongoing unrest in the Middle East to the death of Osama bin Laden.

Lee has also been instrumental in the launch of a new Asia Primetime programing line-up, a new Hong Kong-based show called News Stream and four weeks of extended regional coverage in Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia.

Further landmark programming initiatives under her tenure have included taking Hong Kong-based programs to Beijing, Delhi, Mumbai and Seoul while from the world of business she managed the launch of a new weekday business program from Hong Kong, ‘World Business Today’.

Lee has also been named a ‘Young Global Leader’ by the World Economic Forum, is an Asia 21 fellow as awarded by the Asia Society and a graduate of Harvard’s ‘Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century’ Executive Program. Lee holds a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from New York University and an undergraduate degree in History and International Relations from Georgetown University.

IndianTelevision.com talks to Ellana Lee, CNN International Managing Editor - Asia Pacific.

How is CNN's coverage different than other international players like BBC? What is your DNA?

Production and ownership of our content is our cornerstone and it has allowed us to expand the depth and breadth of coverage. It is very important for us that CNN provide original news to its audiences and not aggregate third party material which people can get from elsewhere. In 2009, we embarked on the biggest newsgathering expansion in our history, a multi-million dollar investment in staff and resources to bolster our world-class, award-winning journalism as well as give us the power to move swiftly into developing new business models.

CNN also continues to evolve to meet the needs of our international audience through platforms including online, broadband, mobile and interactive television. Our strategy is to make use of most of the growing digital technologies and platforms to enhance our reach and be in continuous touch with our audience. That's why we offer multiple touch points for the consumer to access CNN content anytime, anywhere.


You were promoted as managing editor of the APAC region in 2007. In the last three years, what changes have you brought in the editorial during this time?

Rigorous editorial discussion and accountability, clarity of thought and speed of action from all our journalists. As Asia itself grows in influence, we strive to reflect its rise through smart story telling. In my short time as managing editor, we have seen explosive growth in the digital and social media sphere and so we make sure our journalists are comfortable on all platforms and work across divisions to maximize a story's impact.

The full interview - which includes hints at expanded CNN International coverage from India - can be read here.

CNN Pressroom - WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ANNOUNCES ELLANA LEE, MANAGING EDITOR CNN INTERNATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC, AS A 2008 YOUNG GLOBAL LEADER

Ellana Lee joins 245 leading executives, public figures and intellectuals – all age 40 or younger – chosen from around the world

Geneva, Switzerland, 11 March 2008 – The World Economic Forum today announced that Ellana Lee has been selected as a Young Global Leader 2008. This honour is bestowed each year by the World Economic Forum to recognize and acknowledge the top 200-300 young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. The Young Global Leaders for 2008 include 121 business leaders, as well as leaders from government, academia, media and society at large from 65 countries. The new class represents all regions, including East Asia (64), Europe (58), Middle East and North Africa (12), North America (45), South Asia (24), sub-Saharan Africa (21) and Latin America (21).

“The World Economic Forum is a true multi-stakeholder community of global decision-makers. We need the Young Global Leaders to be a voice for the future in the global thought process and as a catalyst for initiatives in the global public interest.” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2008 were chosen by a selection committee of 31 eminent international media leaders, including Thomas H. Glocer, Chief Executive Officer, Reuters, United Kingdom; Arthur Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher, The New York Times, USA; Robert Thomson, Publisher, Dow Jones & Company and The Wall Street Journal, USA; and Hisashi Hieda, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fuji Television Network, Japan. The selection committee is chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The current community of Young Global Leaders represents over 60 countries and includes Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Co-Founders of Google, USA; Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; Malvinder M. Singh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Ranbaxy Laboratories, India; Hiroshi Nakada, Mayor of Yokohama, Japan; Nicky Newton-King, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, JSE, South Africa; Carlos Danel, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Banco Compartamos, Mexico; and Jack Ma Yun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alibaba Group, People's Republic of China.

"It is our belief that this community of committed individuals can actually change the status quo. They are not only a preview of what effective, collaborative leadership in the 21st century might look like, they are actually putting it into practice today," said David Aikman, Senior Director and Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders. "It is our privilege to work with such inspirational leaders and to bring them together in a global network that builds their insights and skills even further, providing them with a global platform to tackle the key challenges of our generation."

Established in 2004 by Professor Klaus Schwab, The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders, who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devote some of their knowledge and energy to collectively work towards a better future. As part of their engagement, the Young Global Leaders give their time to task forces to initiate, develop and drive innovative solutions on important, globally-oriented issues, including health, education, the environment, global governance and security, and development and poverty.

For more information and a detailed list of all Young Global Leaders, please visit www.younggloballeaders.org

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world. The Forum provides a collaborative framework for the world's leaders to address global issues, engaging particularly its corporate members in global citizenship.

Incorporated as a foundation, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. The Forum has NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.