BBC News presenter Yalda Hakim has announced that she’s quitting the channel after over 10 years on screen.
The award-winning foreign correspondent confirmed the news on social media on Thursday, revealing she had decided to leave the organisation – with her set to move to another channel.
Yalda said she was ‘forever grateful’ for her time with the BBC, and for her colleagues. She was met with a series of congratulatory messages from viewers for her time on the news channel, with many sad to see her go.
She posted: ‘After more than a decade with @BBCWorld @BBCNews I have decided to depart the organisation. I do so with profound gratitude to all of my extraordinarily talented colleagues for their support and collaboration over the years.
‘I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to report on some of the world’s most important stories, and I will always hold my time at the BBC with fondness and admiration for the exceptional people who work there.’
Yalda will now take on a role at Sky News it has been revealed, with Executive Chairman of Sky News Group David Rhodes commenting on her joining the team.
She will be the channel’s Lead World News Presenter, with her own primetime programme as part of a multiplatform offering focused on international news.
David Rhodes commented: ‘We’re so excited to have Yalda join Sky as our lead world news presenter.
‘Sky News has always featured an award-winning international news report, with Alex Crawford, Stuart Ramsay, Dominic Waghorn, and so many colleagues on the front lines of our coverage every day.
‘Yalda bolsters this multi-platform presentation—her professional accomplishments and personal journey make her an ideal addition to our newsroom.’
Yalda also revealed her excitement over her new role, commenting on her next venture admitting she had ‘long admired’ the Sky team.
She said: ‘I am honoured and excited to be joining Sky News as lead world news presenter. I have long admired Sky for its smart, fearless and world-class reporting.
Yalda previously hosted BBC’s Daily Global with Yalda Hakim. Earlier this year she was named Chief Presenter of the newly merged BBC News Channel.
The broadcaster has spent over a decade reporting on some of the biggest news events from around the world, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, while she also led the BBC’s coverage of the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021.
