The Associated Press has named Daisy Veerasingham as its new president and CEO, effective from 1 January 2022.
Veerasingham, AP’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, succeeds retiring AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt to become the 14th leader of the AP in its 175-year history.
A first-generation British national of Sri Lankan descent, Veerasingham, 51, is the first woman, first person of color and first international citizen to lead The Associated Press.
Veerasingham was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer in February 2021, taking on responsibility for all AP departments including the company’s news, business, and technology operations.
Since 2019 Veerasingham served as senior vice president and chief revenue officer, where she directed the division comprising AP’s sales, product, marketing and customer operations worldwide.
Previously, as senior vice president for international revenue, Veerasingham was responsible for all content licensing and marketing across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia, along with AP Global Media Services and AP’s video business.
Veerasingham joined AP in 2004 as sales director for AP Television News in London. She later became vice president of sales for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia, overseeing revenue from clients across all formats and business units.
Prior to AP, Veerasingham was group sales and marketing director at LexisNexis and held sales and marketing roles at the Financial Times. She holds a degree in law.