PETER Johnston, the director of BBC Northern Ireland, is to step down from a position he has held for 17 years.
Mr Johnston, who will take take up a new role as director of the BBC's editorial complaints and reviews, has not been in the north since December 2021.
He was seconded to lead the corporation's "impartiality plan", with Adam Smyth made interim director since. This latest move is permanent.
The Ballymena native, who joined BBC NI in 1994, was asked to draw up the plan following an inquiry by Lord Dyson into the circumstances surrounding Martin Bashir's 1995 interview with Princess Diana.
Lord Dyson found the BBC fell short of “high standards of integrity and transparency". While the task was due to take until last summer, Mr Johnston continued in the role "to lead the....delivery changes around editorial processes, governance and culture".
The post of director of BBC NI will be advertised.
The BBC's director of nations, Rhodri Talfan Davies, said Mr Johnston had done "extraordinary work over so many years in Northern Ireland".
He paid tribute to Mr Johnston's "editorial judgement and his passion for broadcasting".
