Huffpost UK has appointed former Guardian digital editor Polly Curtis as its new editor-in-chief.
Curtis (pictured) joins from her role as director of media for the British Red Cross charity. She replaces Steven Hull, who left to become ITV’s head of digital earlier this year, and begins her role later this summer.
Curtis is only the third editor of the UK website since its launch in 2011, in which time it has frown from a team of six to more than 40. Its first editor was Carla Buzasi, now with trend forecasters WGSN.
While digital editor at the Guardian, Polly led online plans for the Scottish and EU referendums and the 2015 general election, as well as live coverage of the Paris and Brussels terror attacks.
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She was also previously deputy national editor at the Guardian, helping to run the newsroom.
Said Curtis: “Huffpost produces challenging, impactful and empathetic journalism, with a team committed to revelatory reporting that focuses on the issues its audience really cares about. It is such a privilege to lead and be part of that.”
Curtis’ appointment follows the recent hiring of Lydia Polgreen as global editor-in-chief and Louise Roug as international director.
Polgreen said: “Polly’s experience of working with communities all over the UK and her calibre in the newsroom proves Huffpost’s continued commitment to the highest quality journalism for our audiences that cuts to the truth of what is real and matters.”
A spokesperson for Huffpost said the online publisher is focused on “continuing to build a unified newsroom” across its 17 “editions” (i.e. country-specific websites) to engage with what it claims is its global average of 170 million monthly readers.
Huffpost was founded by Ariana Huffington and partners in 2005, then as the Huffington Post. The group under went a global rebrand in April this year to become HuffPost.
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