Mitali Mukherjee, an Indian journalist, has been appointed as the director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. She will take up the post immediately, the institute said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ms Mukherjee's announcement was announced by the Chair of the Institute's Steering Committee, Alan Rusbridger, and the Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford, Professor David Doyle.
"She has been outstanding in her two terms as acting director and she has a clear and compelling vision for the next stage. The Reuters Institute was always intended to be a bridge between academic research into the future of journalism and the profession itself. Her directorship comes at a time of both great danger and extraordinary transformation," Mr Rusbridger said.
He added, "The Institute will have a unique role to play in this transformation and couldn't be in better hands."
The Reuters Institute receives core funding from the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Rasmus Nielsen had served as its director from 2018 to 2024.
Ms Mukherjee, in a statement, said she is "honoured" to take on the new role and to lead an "exceptional team of colleagues".
"Our core mission is to explore the future of journalism worldwide through debate, engagement, and research, and I am looking forward to working with the Department of Politics and International Relations, the Thomson Reuters Foundation and industry partners to build on our achievements and mission. In a time of unpredictability and shift across the world, we are, and will remain, international in our reach and impact," she said.
Ms Mukherjee had been an acting director of the Reuters Institute since Mr Nielsen stepped down last year. She was selected in an open and independent process that concluded in March.
With over two decades of experience in TV, print and digital journalism, Ms Mukherjee has been serving as the consulting business editor at The Wire and Mint. Previously, she has worked as the markets editor at CNBC TV 18. She has also been a prime time anchor at TV Today and Doordarshan.
Ms Mukherjee has been a Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), where she led Gender Initiatives for the organisation and also co-founded two start-ups that focused on civil society and financial literacy.
Earlier, she led the Reuters Institute's journalist programmes since September 2022 and represented the Institute in conferences and events around the world. Under her leadership, the institute added new sponsors to the Fellowship Programme and secured funding for the Oxford Climate Journalism Network - an initiative that supports hundreds of journalists across beats and platforms to improve the quality, understanding and impact of climate coverage around the world - the institute's statement read.
She was a Chevening fellow for the South Asia Journalism Fellowship 2020, a Raisina Asian Forum for Global Governance Young Fellow 2019, and a 2017 fellow of the Australia India Youth Dialogue. In 2020, Ms Mukherjee was nominated for the prestigious Red Ink Awards in India for two of her business stories.
