Avenger of the Week | Daisy Veerasingham

The Associated Press (AP) has chosen Daisy Veerasingham as its next president and chief executive officer. She is the first woman, the first person of color, and the first person from outside the United States to head the prestigious, 175-year-old non-profit news cooperative.

Veerasingham, 51, will lead the media cooperative with thousands of journalists working out of 99 news bureaus around the world starting on January 1, 2022. On a typical day, the AP produces approximately 2,000 stories, 3,000 photographs, and 200 videos for 1,300 newspapers and broadcasts worldwide. AP has earned a total of 54 Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and photography.

“The importance of AP as an unbiased, factual news source cannot be overstated – our journalism reaches more than half the world’s population every day,” Veerasingham said in the AP news release. “I am thrilled to take the helm of this deeply respected news organization and work with colleagues who do extraordinary work every day in support of our mission”.

A first generation British national of Sri Lankan descent, she trained as a lawyer and began her business career in marketing for LexisNexis and the Financial Times before joining AP in 2004 as sales director of AP Television News. She is currently senior vice president and chief operating officer and previously served as senior vice president of international revenue, including content licensing, AP Global Media, and the expansion of AP’s Video business.

For her distinguished career in the news business and for breaking the glass ceiling at AP, Daisy Veerasingham is our Avenger of the Week.

Daisy Veerasingham, @GenderAvenger's #AvengerOfTheWeek, has been named the next president & CEO of the @AP, making her the 1st woman, 1st person of color, and 1st person from outside the US to head the 175-year-old news cooperative! #GenderAvenger https://www.genderavenger.com/blog/avenger-of-the-week-daisy-veerasingham